News for 2019

If ever you needed confirmation that the county’s food and drink sector is flourishing, look no further than the record number of those producers vying to take the latest prestigious titles in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards!

The competition, now in its eleventh year, is aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The recent shortlisting of the ‘New Local Drink’ and ‘Artisan Local Drink’ categories, staged at Barratt’s Club in Northampton, as reigning ‘Community Pub of the Year’, saw a panel of judges come together to sample their way through the competition’s largest number and widest variety of tipples – everything from beers to ciders, spirits to juices. They included Jon Elks, Master Brewer at headline sponsor Carlsberg UK, CAMRA’s Company Secretary, Ken Owst, and Tina Keogh-Warner and Tom Warner, co-founders of the internationally award-winning craft gin distillers and the categories’ sponsor, Warner’s.

Indeed, with standards so high, the judges were simply unable to reduce their selection to the usual shortlists of just 4 to 6, with the resulting finalists being (in alphabetical order within the category):

Meanwhile with a twenty percent increase in the number of entries, those at the second stage judging of the three equally hotly-contested product categories, held at Holdenby House, faced just as difficult a task. They included former cookery school owner and Awards Patron Mary Laing, chef Gavin Austin, who fed the England Lionesses on their way to World Cup semi-final glory in France earlier this summer and Vanessa Brown, who is Head of Business and Catering Services at the Vegetarian Society as well as representatives of each of the category sponsors, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed, Moulton College and Daily Bread. The finalists are (again in alphabetical order within the category):

Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year (sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed):

Cobblers Nibble – Hamm Tun Fine Foods, Hannington

Evergreen Chutney – Evergreen Art Café, Daventry

Little Bertie – Hamm Tun Fine Foods, Hannington

Olive and Spinach Bread – Whittlebury Bakery, Whittlebury

Steak and Ale Pie – Butler’s Pie Company, Brackley

Togglers – Neneview Dairy, Stanwick

Artisan Local Sweet Product of the Year (sponsored by Moulton College):

Honey, Orange & Whisky Marmalade – Nature’s Fayre, Thrapston

Raspberry Fruity Chocolate – Belflair Chocolates, Brackley

Strawberry Jam – Green Kitchen Preserves, Northampton

Whittlebury Bun – Whittlebury Bakery, Whittlebury

Artisan Local Vegetarian / Vegan Product of the Year (sponsored by Daily Bread):

Among those to be celebrating are David and Kathryn Butler from Butler’s Pie Company in Brackley who, as first time entrants into the competition, are thrilled to have pies in the shortlists of both of the categories they entered: “As a small, family run business we are extremely proud, overjoyed and amazed at being double finalists in this prestigious competition and find it really humbling to know that all of the hard work that goes into producing our high quality products paid off with the judges” said Kathryn.

“Entering the Awards has definitely raised our business’s profile so we’re excited for the future and are now keeping everything crossed that one if not both pies go on to take their respective titles!” she added.

The finalists in all five product and drink categories now have until Thursday 14th November to discover their fate, when the winners and runners-up in all the categories of this year’s Awards will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate. Tickets are now available at £120 (plus VAT) or £1,320 (plus VAT) for a table of 12.

For more details of this year’s competition, or for tickets, please call Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email rachel@themallowscompany.com

Meanwhile you can also follow the Awards on Twitter and Instagram at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodawards

While most professional chefs endure the heat of the kitchen on a daily basis, one former local catering student has taken welcome respite from his usual Caribbean temperatures, coming back to the county to help determine the destination of one of the prestigious titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards!

Simon Dyer, who learned his craft at Awards category sponsor Northampton College, now works as Sir Richard Branson’s private chef on Necker Island, but was delighted to return to home territory to help judge the ‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’ category aimed at budding stars aged under 25.

The cook-off, staged in the impressive kitchens of the college on Booth Lane, saw the young chefs battle it out in the semi-final, at which they had to demonstrate their culinary skills by creating a main course in just ninety minutes using a basket of general ingredients as well as their key local ingredients of stout from Phipps NBC in Northampton, sourdough from Whittlebury Bakery, smoked ham hock from Great Oxendon’s Waterloo Cottage Farm and duck eggs from Smiths Farm Shop at Chapel Brampton, all carefully selected by Simon.

Among those joining him in the tricky but enjoyable task of choosing the finalists were fellow former Northampton College student, Dean Hoddle, who has also climbed to culinary excellence, being Head Chef at Silverstone Circuit, and Awards Patron and former cookery school owner, Mary Laing.

Having acted as a judge in this category for the last two years, Simon said he was amazed by the increase in standards he witnessed yet again this year; “Speaking on behalf of the rest of the panel, I know we were all really blown away by the skills shown by the young chefs and I was delighted that, in choosing ingredients that I really loved, they all rose to the challenge brilliantly and created dishes that wouldn’t have been out of place in a fine-dining venue” explained Simon.

“None of them seemed at all nervous despite being watched by us throughout the morning and so our task was particularly hard this year but I hope that they can all take inspiration from the likes of Dean and me in seeing how far cooking can take them and indeed if any of them wants a work placement with me in the Caribbean, I’d be delighted to have them!” he added.

The four finalists, who now go forward to compete for the ‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’ title in the final cook-off in September, are (in alphabetical order):

Just a week later, the finalists in the ‘Chef of the Year’, co-sponsored by Dawn Farms and Route 1 express couriers and aimed at those aged 25 and over, gathered again at the college to compete in a similar ‘Ready Steady Cook’ style challenge, this time with three hours to plan, prepare and serve a two course meal, having no prior knowledge of the ingredients. The main course was their own creation while their pudding had to be a summer berry roulade and for which they were also given the additional local ingredients of strawberries from Harpole’s Grange Farm and raspberry gin from Awards category sponsors Warner’s in Harrington.

Throughout the entire process, the sextet were watched by an expert panel of judges including Aaron Melly and Lee Haines, representing category co-sponsors Dawn Farms and Route 1 express couriers respectively, Northampton College’s Head of Catering, Phil Martin, and the chef-owner of the Paris House in Woburn, Phil Fanning, who then tucked into the various and imaginative range of dishes produced, including a poussin pearl barley risotto and a spinach and wild mushroom risotto served with ham hock and tarragon bonbons.

The finalists in both categories now have until Thursday 14th November to discover their fate, when the winners and runners-up in all the categories of this year’s competition will be announced at the Awards Dinner, taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate. Tickets are now available at £120 (plus VAT) or £1,320 (plus VAT) for a table of 12.

For more details on all of the categories in this year’s competition, or for tickets, please call Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email rachel@themallowscompany.com

The finest culinary competition in the world (probably) is back!

The team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is delighted to announce that the competition has been launched for 2019/20 for its eleventh year!

The Awards, which are run by the sector for the sector, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Also joining the prestigious line up is Northampton firm, Route 1 express couriers Ltd, specialist couriers in frozen and chilled food, which partners Dawn Farms in co-sponsoring the ‘Chef of the Year’ category, while a new partnership with NAB – Sight Support for Northamptonshire (Northamptonshire Association for the Blind) is enabling the introduction of the ‘Dining For All Award’, which will recognise those eateries which ensure a pleasurable dining experience for those with sensory impairments for whom dining out can be more challenging.

The full details of the 2019/20 competition were unveiled at the launch (Thursday 14th March) at Warner’s, the internationally award-winning craft gin distillers based at Harrington, following a warm welcome from Maria O’Brien of Carlsberg UK.

Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows MBE DL of The Mallows Company began by paying tribute to all those who had helped in the success of the first decade of the competition before underlining its continuing commitment to growth with the news that the winners of the all the categories will again go on to receive tailored mentoring from experts on the Awards Mentoring Board, while the winners of the product and drink categories will be submitted as entries into the Great Taste Awards 2020 at the Northamptonshire Awards’ cost.

In addition, guests, including Awards Patrons William Sitwell and Sophie Grigson, Emma MClarkin MEP, the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, James Saunders-Watson, and the Deputy Leader of Northamptonshire County Council, Cécile Irving-Swift as well as sponsors, supporters and reigning champions, learned of the considerable business benefit that success in the competition can bring, firstly from Iona Campbell of The Water Mill Tearooms in Ringstead, winner of the ‘Independent Cafe / Tea Room of the Year’ category, who explained the impact their win had had: “We welcomed many new customers as a result of our victory and even continuing into this year, our weekends have been twice as busy as the same time last year.

“So we’re thrilled to have been crowned champions, especially as we were up against some amazing venues and, having taken on eight extra staff to cope with the increase in demand, are now set to open our second venue!” she added.

Meanwhile Hendrik Dutson-Steinfeld of The White Horse in Kings Sutton revealed how winning the ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ title had similarly led to an increase in customers, and encouraged other potential entrants to get involved: “We’ve had many more first timers visit us since picking up this accolade and indeed, in the month after the win, like for like sales were up an incredible 17 per cent.

“It’s also given us the inspiration to evolve so that we can continue to impress our diners and, while we can’t defend our title this year, we’ll be looking at some of the other categories in the hope of competing again and would urge other food businesses to enter and take advantage of the considerable publicity that success brings” he enthused.

The Awards were then officially opened by William Sitwell, who spoke of his personal admiration of the passion shown by so many of those in the sector in his home county, after which guests enjoyed a tour of the Warner’s distillery, before finally repairing to Harrington’s The Tollemache Arms – itself a finalist in the ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ in the 2018/19 competition – for a rather special lunch created by the pub’s co-owner, Joe Buckley.

Indeed, the food had been generously supplied by Fruitful Abundance CIC, a county organisation which seeks to minimise food waste by recycling food that would otherwise be thrown away and which saw one of its venues, Elsie’s Café in Northampton, named the ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero of the Year’ in the 2016/17 Awards.

For more details on all of the categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2019/20, including to request entry forms, to make a nomination in the ‘Independent Café / Tea Room’, ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero’, and ‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ categories, or to recommend your favourite pub or restaurant, please contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email rachel@themallowscompany.com

Alternatively, entry, nomination and register of interest forms as well as the terms and conditions are available on the ‘Entry Forms’ page of this website.

News for 2018

Thomasina Miers celebrates Northamptonshire’s finest food and drink!

After much anticipation and a great deal of excitement, the winners in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2018/19 are finally celebrating being named the best of the county’s best!

The competition, now in its tenth year, is aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The results were announced at a glittering Awards Dinnerstaged at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate (Wednesday 7th November) and those were (in presentation order and, in the case of two winners or runners-up, in alphabetical order):

The winners of all the categories were presented with trophies which had been specially designed by the Northampton firm Trinity Engineering – the figure 10 depicted as a bottle and plate to represent a decade of the Awards which was crafted out of tin, the metal traditionally associated with tenth anniversary gifts – by the evening’s special guest, the former Masterchef winner, author and Wahaca restaurant group owner, Thomasina Miers and Awards Patrons William Sitwell and Sophie Grigson.

For the team from The Water Mill Tearooms in Ringstead, winning the title of ‘Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year’ came as something of a pleasant surprise, as owner Iona Campbell explained: “We only opened the venue last year so to have this stamp of approval from such a recognised competition at such an early stage and at the first time of asking means the world to us and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

“The beautiful trophy will now go in pride of place in the café and we can’t wait to show it off not only to our existing loyal customers but also to all those new faces we’re expecting to see who’ll now be wanting to come and try us for themselves!” she enthused.

The evening began with formal welcomes from Awards Director, Rachel Mallows MBE DL of The Mallows Company and Bruce Ray, VP Corporate Affairs and Independent on Trade (interim) with headline sponsors, Carlsberg UK before guests then enjoyed a sumptuous three course meal designed and created by Lee Scott, executive chef at Whittlebury Hall, and aided by a team of culinary students from Northampton College who switched their regular classes for the experience of being part of the prestigious occasion – but not before broadcaster, author and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Reverend Richard Coles had said grace.

Befitting a celebration of the excellence of the county’s food and drink sector, the menu included a wealth of Northamptonshire ingredients, including a game terrine made using duck from award winners, Pastures Poultry Farm at Yardley Hastings, venison from Rutting Reds at Hannington as well as chutney from Northampton’s Friars Farm and goat cheese from Stanwick’s Neneview Dairy.

The local offering also continued into the puddings which used apples from New Creation Farm, blueberries from Mee Farmers at Nassington and chocolate from Corby’s Seed and Bean, accompanied by dessert wine generously provided by Amps Wine Merchants of Oundle, before concluding with petits fours generously provided by Belflair Chocolates of Brackley and tea courtesy of the Northampton’s Tea Lab Company, which also created a special tenth anniversary tea blend called ‘The Mallows’ for guests to take home.

As well as learning the results of the twenty categories, guests heard how Atul Kocchar, Britain’s first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin Star, had reacted after he had been involved as a judge at the Booker Young Chef of the Year cook-off final back in September.

Praising the talents of the five finalists involved, Atul admired their creativity, skills and calmness under pressure as they took on their two-hour cooking challenge, and paid tribute to the Awards and their impact on the sector over the last decade, something of which, he said, Northamptonshire should be most proud.

Those were sentiments echoed by Thomasina who spoke from experience of the value of competitive success following her television victory – which she admitted came despite her having served lumpy mashed potato to judge John Torode in the first episode! – and commended the Awards by congratulating all of those gathered for the evening’s celebration – whether finalists, sponsors, supporters or partners – for helping to create a spectacular culmination to its first ten years.

There was also a special presentation from the Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, David Laing, who announced that the ‘Northamptonshire – Britain’s Best Surprise!’ marketing campaign would focus on the food and drink sector in 2019, pledging to bring the county’s culinary excellence to national attention.

For more details on the competition, including the chance to watch the videos of Atul Kocchar and the cook-offs, please visit the gallery page of this website or contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email Rachel using this link

Counting the days to the big night…!

With less than a fortnight to go till the big night, the last of the shortlists in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards have just been announced which means a total of nearly one hundred finalists are now nervously waiting to learn if they will be walking away with the prestigious gongs next month!

Former Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers will be presenting the trophies to those taking the titles including ‘Restaurant of the Year’, ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero of the Year’ and the ‘Great Service Award’ at the culmination of the competition’s year – the Awards Dinner at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate on Wednesday 7th November.

The finalists in the last of the categories to be determined are (in alphabetical order in each category):

Community Pub of the Year (sponsored by Carlsberg UK):

Barratts Club, Northampton

Knightley Arms, Yelvertoft

The Red Lion, Thornby

The Royal Oak, Cogenhoe

Towcester Mill Brewery Tap Room, Towcester

Farming Innovation Award (sponsored by Warner Edwards):

Courteenhall Farms, Courteenhall

East Lodge Farm, Ecton

Turney Partners, Quinton

Waterloo Cottage Farm, Great Oxendon

F&B Achiever of the Year (sponsored by Howes Percival LLP):

Angus and Kirsty Clarke – Waterloo Cottage Farm, Great Oxendon

Colm Curran – Seed and Bean, Corby

Nicky Dorwood – Limes Farm Ltd and School Meals Ltd, Farthinghoe

Naz Islam – Saffron, Northampton

Emma and Rory McCabe – Proper Pub Co, Old

Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year (sponsored by C Butt Ltd):

Baxter Healthcare Ltd, Northampton

John Lewis Plc, Northampton

St Andrew’s Healthcare, Northampton

Travis Perkins (Lodge Farm), Northampton

As final preparations are made for the black tie celebration, Awards Director Rachel Mallows MBE DL is taking a moment to reflect on the ten years of the competition and what it has achieved: “From just four categories in our first year to some twenty a decade later, we are incredibly proud of the difference the awards have made to the passionate owners and staff of many of our varied food and drink businesses in helping them to grow and succeed” explained Rachel.

“So not only am I thrilled for these latest finalists who have helped play their part in making this the best and toughest judging year yet but also forever grateful to our first sponsor, Carlsberg UK, and those other sponsors who’ve joined us over the years whose support has enabled us to shape a county food and drink sector with which to be reckoned on a national scale!” she added.

The finalists in all the categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2018/19, can now be viewed throughout the press releases listed on this Awards’ website – while for more details of the competition please email Rachel Mallows using this link. or call 01933 664437.

County’s food heroes revealed!

A delicatessen, a vegan chef and a goat cheese maker are among the finalists vying to be named ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero of the Year’ in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2018/19.

The Awards, now in their tenth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

In contrast to other titles in the competition, for which direct entries are received, this category, which is sponsored by Burton Latimer-based cereal company Weetabix and staged in partnership with the Northamptonshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), invites the public to nominate a person, business or organisation which they believe have done more in the last year to promote local food than any other.

The six finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Natasha Caton of Sol Laug Havens CIC, Moulton

Green Acres Rural Enterprise Centre, Staverton

Dean Hoddle of Silverstone Circuits, Silverstone

Stan Roberston of Project 16:15, Northampton

Squisito Butchers and Provisions, Yelvertoft

Chris Twell of Neneview Dairy, Stanwick

Yet again the competition received a plethora of nominations from all corners of the county, with butchers, brewers, farm shops and even a village shop among those being put forward, making the process of choosing the finalists a particularly tough one for the panel of judges including the Chief Executive of the Northamptonshire Community Foundation, Victoria Miles and Weetabix’s Head of Procurement, Anthony Bowdidge, as he explained: “Weetabix are delighted to be sponsoring this category again this year as we’re incredibly proud of our Northamptonshire roots and it represents an ideal way to demonstrate our commitment to the county and the depth and prosperity of the sector.

“The stories we learned about all of those who were those nominated were both humbling and inspiring and while none of them put themselves forward for any kind of public accolade, our six finalists are quite rightly deserving of their place in the spotlight!” he added.

Those were sentiments echoed by Sally Hanrahan, Development and Education Manager for Northamptonshire CPRE, who has personally been involved in judging the category since it was introduced in the second year of the Awards: “After nine years, you might imagine that we would have encountered all these amazing people and organisations before, yet every year, I am staggered by the efforts of those who quietly go about their work, without any desire to be publically applauded for it” enthused Sally.

“So on behalf of CPRE, may I offer our congratulations to all those who were nominated as they are all clearly food heroes in someone’s eyes and of course good luck to those six who have been shortlisted!” she added.

A panel of judges will now visit the finalists late this month to learn firsthand the value of their work and their impact on the Northamptonshire food and drink sector, before choosing their winner and runner-up.

The results, along with those in all of the categories in this year’s Awards, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate on Wednesday 7th November in the presence of special guest, chef, writer, restaurateur and Masterchef winner, Thomasina Miers.

For more details on the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2018/19, including purchasing dinner tickets priced at £105 (plus VAT) or £1155 (plus VAT) for a table of twelve, please visit the Awards Evening Tickets page on this website or contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email us using this link.

Probably the finest eateries in Northamptonshire!

Making a reservation at some of the county’s finest eateries just got that little bit tougher with the announcement of the finalists vying for four of the prestigious venue titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The Awards, now in their tenth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The four accolades up for grabs are those for ‘Restaurant of the Year’, ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’, ‘World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year’ and that of ‘Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year’ and the respective finalists are (in alphabetical order in each category):

Restaurant of the Year (sponsored by Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment):

Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year (sponsored by Pidy UK):

Despite not being shortlisted, Sage and Brooke in Grafton Underwood was also awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ category.

Among the finalists this year are some new names as well as a number of venues which have previously been shortlisted and, in some cases, been runner-up or indeed winners of their category and the Awards Director Rachel Mallows MBE believes that best reflects the prestige in which the competition is now held: “It’s really great to see that those who’ve benefitted from success previously have been keen to repeat that by entering this year as it just goes to show what a difference being able to display that finalist logo has meant to their business “ explained Rachel.

“But what’s also wonderful is that our shortlists contain some names which will be unfamiliar to those who’ve followed the competition over the last nine years, and whether they’re first time entrants or those who’ve tried unsuccessfully in the past, it simply goes to show how standards of dining in the county are consistently rising.

“So I’m very proud of the efforts of all those who entered and thrilled for these 22 finalists and would urge anyone who loves eating out to go and try them for themselves!” she enthused.

Having already been secretly assessed twice as part of the shortlisting process, the finalists in each category will now be visited by two external Mystery Shoppers who will score them on everything from staff knowledge of the menu to use of local ingredients, speed of service, and of course the quality of the food itself!

For obvious reasons, the identities of the Mystery Shoppers are being kept under wraps but the happy task has previously been performed by the likes of TV chef and Awards Patron Sophie Grigson and the former editor of the Good Food Guide, Jim Ainsworth!

The winners and runners-up in those and indeed all the categories in the Awards will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate on Wednesday 7th November.

For more details on the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2018/19, including purchasing dinner tickets priced at £105 (plus VAT) or £1155 (plus VAT) for a table of twelve, please visit the Awards Evening Tickets page on this website or contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email us using this link.

Masterchef winner joins culinary celebrations!

Thomasina MiersPhotography courtesy Caroline Irby

The team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is thrilled to announce that chef, writer, restaurateur and Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers is the special guest at this year’s Awards Dinner taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate in November.

Indeed the competition has double cause to celebrate with the news that Harrington-based international award-winning craft gin distillers Warner Edwards has joined the line-up of prestigious category sponsors for this, the tenth year of the Awards.

Thomasina Miers, whose mother taught her to make béchamel sauce when she was six, dabbled in advertising, journalism and even VAT consultancy before meeting Clarissa Dickson Wright on a catwalk who encouraged her to follow her passion for food – and the rest, as they say, is history!

She went on to lift the first ever Masterchef trophy in 2005 and since then her culinary career has gone from strength to strength, with numerous TV programmes, regular national newspaper columns and seven cookery books to her name, not to mention her now 25-strong Mexican restaurant group, Wahaca which she launched with her business partner Mark in 2007. Yet with three children of her own, Tommi, as she’s affectionately known, still finds time to support her local primary school and grow her own vegetables!

Thomasina will follow in the footsteps of fellow culinary luminaries Jason Atherton, Marcus Wareing and Michel Roux OBE in presenting the trophies at the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards’ end-of-year celebration in November and says she’s thrilled to be heading to the county: “I think it’s incredibly important to shine the spotlight on the important and brilliant work that’s happening in the food and drink sector and you’ve only got to look at what this competition has achieved over the last nine years to know Northamptonshire is doing an amazing job!” said Thomasina.

“I know from experience what winning a title means and, while I clearly have some very big shoes to fill, I feel honoured to be on the other side, presenting the awards this time – and I can’t wait!” she added.

Meanwhile, multiple award-winning craft gin distillers and creators of the original rhubarb gin Warner Edwards has joined the line-up of prestigious Awards supporters by becoming category sponsor of the ‘Farming Innovation Award’. Founder Tom Warner and his wife, Tina, set up the distillery to diversify his own family cattle farm almost six years ago, and every bottle of gin is lovingly crafted with natural ingredients which are farm grown or locally sourced wherever possible. “Having launched the business in December 2012, we were blessed to win one of these local awards less than a year later and, while we’ve taken many more international titles since, it’s one that makes us the most proud because it was the seal of approval from our home county and really set us on our way!” explained Tom.

“Hard work, a great product and a great team has seen us grow in the intervening years and now that the awards are celebrating their tenth year, it seemed the perfect excuse to be able to give something back to a competition which has done so much to support businesses like ours in the county to flourish” he added.

Among those waiting to discover if they will be receiving their winner’s trophy from Thomasina are the quartet of finalists in the ‘One To Watch’ category (sponsored by Whitworth Bros. Ltd Flour Millers), which is aimed at those producers whose businesses are less than 5 years old and is designed to recognise their potential for major growth, their future significant impact on the market and thereby raising the profile of Northamptonshire at a regional or national level.

They are (in alphabetical order):

Boot Town Brewery, Burton Latimer

Hustle Gin, Horton

The Shimmy Shimmy Co, Culworth

Tea Lab Company, Northampton

The category was introduced for the first time last year and for Awards Director Rachel Mallows MBE DL, it represents the perfect synergy with both their new sponsor and their celebrity dinner guest: “We’re thrilled that Warner Edwards is showing their support for us in this way, not least because we’re so proud to have played albeit a small part in their success and we know that businesses who enter this category are inspired by the likes of their success” revealed Rachel.

“And having Thomasina with us on our special night, whom you might say found greater culinary glory by winning a TV show, is a massive thrill because she’s proof that a bit of public recognition, which these Awards can bring, can be a huge boost to blossoming talent” she enthused.

The Awards Dinner is taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate on Wednesday 7th November. Tickets priced at £105 (plus VAT) or £1155 (plus VAT) for a table of twelve are available by clicking here.

Meanwhile for more details about Thomasina Miers, please visit www.thomasinamiers.com while for further information about Warner Edwards and its six-strong range of award-winning gins, please go to www.warneredwards.com

Cheers to Northamptonshire’s
finest drinks!

Some of the county’s finest drinks producers are raising a glass – of their own tipple no doubt! – in celebration of being shortlisted for two of the prestigious titles in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The Awards, now in their tenth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The judging session, staged at The Dukes Arms at Woodford near Kettering (as winner of the ‘Community Pub of the Year’ category in last year’s Awards), saw a panel of judges including Jon Elks, Master Brewer at Carlsberg UK, and CAMRA’s Company Secretary, Ken Owst, come together to choose their finalists in the ‘New Local Drink’ and ‘Artisan Local Drink’ categories. They are (in alphabetical order within the category):

Among the new finalists to be celebrating success in being shortlisted are Ian Bosworth and Lee Kellett, co-partners of Boot Town Brewery in Burton Latimer who, as Lee explained, are thrilled that they have a chance of taking both titles, especially after setting up the part-time company so recently: “We only started brewing less than eighteen months ago so we’re absolutely delighted and really humbled to have this early success in this prestigious competition, not least because we know what an impact it’s going to have on the business” said Lee.

“We set up the company to create a fresh and exciting array of flavoured ales to suit the palates of today’s beer enthusiasts so it’s great that the judges liked them and fingers crossed that this double seal of approval will help us in taking the next big step of giving up our day jobs to pursue our real passion full time!” he added.

For the Awards Director, Rachel Mallows MBE, the line-up of finalists is a great indicator of the current health of the county’s food and drink sector: “I am really thrilled to see some of our former winners and finalists coming back to bid for repeat success as it just goes to show what value they place on the competition” revealed Rachel.

“But as with our food category shortlists earlier this summer, that almost half of the names in the reckoning are such young firms demonstrates not only the wealth of business talent emerging but also that the quality of what they’re producing is enough to rival those who are already firmly established on the map!” she added.

The winners and runners-up in both categories will be decided by a second panel of judges later in the year and the results, along with those of the other categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate on 7th November.

A Corn-Ucopia Of Tasty Treats!

From popcorn to pies, cheese to chocolate tiffin and cake to curry bases, the line-up of products battling it out for culinary glory in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is enough to make your mouth water!

The Awards, now in their tenth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The latest judging session, which followed a longlisting process last month, was held at Holdenby House and saw a panel of judges including Ann Turner, Interim Principal of category sponsor Moulton College, former cookery school owner Mary Laing and Paul Maylunn from Northamptonshire Trading Standards tuck into a wide range of tasty treats vying not just for the traditional two, but three of the Awards’ prestigious titles.

That new, third category – that of ‘Artisan Local Vegetarian / Vegan Product of the Year’ category – was introduced following a rise in the number of such product entries into the competition in recent years and comes thanks to the generous sponsorship of Northampton wholefood retailer, Daily Bread.

The resulting finalists are (in alphabetical order within the category):

Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year (sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed):

Among the finalists to be celebrating success in being shortlisted, and for the second year running, are Ben Carter and Jess Fletcher from Northampton who set up Flo’s Kitchen in October 2016 after struggling to find delicious vegan products for themselves. They now produce a wide range of sweet and savoury products and specialise in desserts, as Ben explained: “Just because you choose to make an ethical decision such as turning vegan doesn’t mean you should have to give up on great tasting food and since we couldn’t find anything on the market to satisfy our sweet tooths, we thought we’d make them ourselves!” said Ben.

“As such a young company, being named as a finalist last year was a big boost to us as it really helped to raise our profile and we’re humbled to think that the judges were equally impressed this year by our sticky toffee pudding, which apparently they said you couldn’t tell it was vegan.

“That’s really the biggest compliment we could have possibly hoped for and now we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we can go all the way and be the first winners of this new title as we know what a massive impact that could potentially have on our business!” Ben added.

One of those playing their part in the selection process was Pie & Pudding Ambassador at Wellingborough-based Dunkleys Pies, Mark Beeston,who, at the end of the tense evening of tasting and scoring, summed up the mood of his fellow panel members: “I think the creativity, new product development and quality shown by these producers is incredible and they reflect a standard worthy of any national competition, yet they’re all being made right here in Northamptonshire” enthused Mark.

“We should therefore be immensely proud of the food scene here in the county and the best way we can do that is to show our support for these brilliant finalists by going out and buying their products!” he added.

The winners and runners-up in the three product categories will be decided by a second panel of judges later in the year and the results, along with those of the other categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate on 7thNovember.

Probably the finest chefs in Northamptonshire!

While this month has seen the world’s sports stars bid for global glory at football, tennis and Formula 1, some of the county’s finest chefs have also been battling it out to win two of the prestigious titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The competition, which is now in its tenth year, is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The accolades being vied for were those of ‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’ (sponsored by Booker), for budding culinary stars aged 18-25, and ‘Chef of the Year’ (sponsored by Dawn Farms) for those over 25.

The finalists competing for the senior title were (in alphabetical order):

Harvey Lockwood from Murrays at Whittlebury Hall, Whittlebury

William Mountain from Stonewalls Catering, Long Buckby

James Peck from Burnt Lemon Catering, Finedon

Samuel Squires from Hibiscus, Northampton

Grant Wentzel from The Hopping Hare, Northampton

The five, shortlisted from a record number of entries, were invited to the impressive kitchens of Northampton College to take part in a ‘Ready Steady Cook’ style challenge in which they had to put their own twist on two courses – Mrs Beeton’s Duck, Braised with Turnips followed by Northamptonshire Cheesecake – using ingredients from Awards sponsor Booker alongside their key local ingredients of rapeseed oil from Farrington Oils at Hargrave,
rhubarb gin from Warner Edwards in Harrington, Healy’s of Winwick cider and beer from Nobby’s Brewing Company in Thrapston.

Judges, Aaron Melly, Philip Martin, Phil Fanning, Richard Curtis

They also took part in a ‘Masterchef’ style technical challenge, being asked to produce deep fried goujons of plaice with tartare sauce in just 15 minutes to test not only their fish handling skills but also their planning, flavouring and hygiene.

The cooking oil for that element was kindly provided by Blisworth-based organic waste recycling company Olleco and in keeping with the Awards’ green ethics, was then collected to be converted into low-carbon biodiesel.

Throughout the entire three-hour cook-off process, the quintet were watched by an expert panel of judges including Science Innovation Manager at category co-sponsor Dawn Farms, Aaron Melly, and the chef-owner of the Paris House in Woburn, Phil Fanning, who then tucked into the various and imaginative takes on the assigned dishes.

The second cook-off, also at Northampton College, saw ten of the county’s finest up and coming chefs battle it out in the semi-final of the ‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’. Like their senior counterparts, they too were provided with a basket of kitchen ingredients by category sponsor Booker as well as their local ingredient of Northamptonshire Blue cheese from Hamm Tun Fine Foods in Hannington.

With just 24 hours’ notice of the ingredients available, the dectet turned the key ingredient of smoked tofu into a wonderful array of differing dishes for the judges – everything from a mezze plate including a ‘fake’ chorizo crumble, a mushroom kibbeh and a miso spiced tofu burger served with a quinoa salad, pickled vegetables and red pepper ketchup.

Those contending with the tricky but enjoyable task of choosing the finalists were Booker’s Catering Development Manager Peter Saunders and former Northampton College student Simon Dyer, who is now at Gordon Ramsey’s Michelin star London restaurant Pétrus.

Simon, who acted as a judge at last year’s final, summed up the panel’s mood; “It was amazing to see the creativity of all ten chefs and we were really impressed by the mature way in which they handled their dishes, especially as I’m sure it was a little unnerving with all of us watching!” explained Simon.

“What particularly delighted me was seeing the depth of talent that the county can boast when it comes to the chefs of the future and, as such, the shortlisting was really tough and really tasty!” he added.

The six finalists, who now go forward to compete for the ‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’ title in the final cook-off in September are (in alphabetical order):

Arturs Dzerins from The Hopping Hare, Northampton

Emily Foster from Fawsley Hall Hotel and Spa, Fawsley

Deniz Gultes from Murrays at Whittlebury Hall, Whittlebury

Toby Hunt from The Sun Inn, Kislingbury

Kenny Markham from The Church Restaurant, Northampton

William Podbury from The Red Lion, Thornby

All finalists now have until Wednesday 7th November to discover their fate when the winners and runners-up in all the categories of this year’s Awards will be announced at the Awards Dinner.

Another helping of Awards sponsorship!

As the competition reaches the half way point in its tenth year, with a flurry of cook-offs, judging sessions and secret mystery shopping visits taking place this month alone, the team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is delighted to announce the support of yet another new sponsor.

It comes in the form of Northampton logistics firm C Butt Ltd, which joins the prestigious line-up of long-standing supporters, including Booker, Dawn Farms, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed and Moulton College, by becoming sponsor of the ‘Healthy Eating Workplace’ category in the awards designed to celebrate all that is best about the county’s food and drink sector.

On the eve of the company’s centenary, having purchased its first vehicle in 1919 to transport goods to local markets, and following hot on the heels of its recent success in securing the coveted BRC Food Standard accreditation, this partnership was an obvious next step, as C Butt Ltd’s Managing Director, Jonathan Butt, explained: “We’re incredibly proud of our rich history within the county and, with our focus this year on Northamptonshire’s excellent food and drink manufacturers and distributors, we’re thrilled to be joining the awards as it marks its decade and to playing our part in helping the sector to thrive.

“We’re also incredibly proud to have to have gained the BRC’s prestigious standard and delighted therefore to have the opportunity to celebrate that success in this most of productive of ways through our sponsorship” he added.

The ‘Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year’ category is one designed to recognise those workplaces which show real commitment to providing a healthy food offering for its workforce with dishes that are nutritious, good value – and tasty!

Last year the title was taken by Weatherbys Ltd in Wellingborough, a proud achievement as Catering Manager, Matthew Edwards, explained: “Winning the Healthy Eating Workplace award was fantastic as the publicity and recognition that came with our success really lifted the confidence and energy levels of the staff.

“The category also goes to show how much benefit to the employees a healthy food offering brings in terms of their personal wellbeing while our win also generated innovation and extra footfall through the staff restaurant” Matthew added.

“In addition, we had a superb night out at the awards ceremony so, in short, I can think of no reason not to enter!” he enthused.

Those are sentiments echoed by the Awards’ Director Rachel Mallows MBE DL, who is hoping for entries to rival the standard of previous years: “Among the innovative ideas we’ve seen in the last four years of the category have been ‘free fruit Wednesdays’, a loyalty card scheme which sees those buying four healthy meals getting the fifth free to one canteen which charges more money, the more calories you have” explained Rachel.

“Now, thanks to C Butt Ltd’s generous support, we can celebrate those companies which recognise the value in providing great tasting, nutritious food to keep their staff fit, heathy and productive and so I would urge businesses to get involved!” she added.

If you think your staff restaurant or canteen should be praised for its healthy menu, please call the Awards office on 01933 664437 or Email Rachel. Alternatively, businesses can enter directly for FREE by downloading an entry form from the entry forms page of this website. The closing date is Monday 3rd September.

Royal icing on the cake!

‘Happiest Day of Their Lives’ from Jeyes of Earls Barton

In an array of baking creations of which Prue and Paul would have been proud, two of the county’s finest cake-makers are now celebrating after being named joint winners of the ‘Royal Showstopper of the Year’ category in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards!

Jeyes of Earls Barton and Workbridge Coffee Shop beat off competition from four other finalists to share the title, following the judging at last weekend’s Althorp Food Festival.

The category, which had been made possible thanks to the generous additional support of sponsor Whitworth Bros Ltd Flour Millers in Wellingborough, was introduced not only to mark the Awards’ tenth year but also to celebrate Northamptonshire’s links with the royal family ahead of this weekend’s big wedding!

‘You Give Me Butterflies’ from Workbridge Coffee Shop.

Among the themes introduced by the finalists were flavours inspired by HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s diverse backgrounds, decorations using the Spencer family coat of arms, and even icing carefully depicting the late Princess Diana’s wedding dress!

But it was Jeyes’ colourful creation of a royal wedding street party scene, complete with smiling figurines of the bride and groom – and some corgis! – and Workbridge’s three-flavoured, three-tiered spectacularwhich won over the judges.

The panel charged with the enjoyable but difficult task of tucking into all six cakes were Kim Little from category sponsor Whitworth Bros Ltd, Gavin Austin, who is consultant chef to the England Football Association, former Great British Bake Off contestant Deborah Manger and Countdown presenter Nick Hewer, who recently appeared in the Great British Bake Off – Stand Up 2 Cancer series.

Speaking just before announcing the results, Nick commended all the bakers for their amazing efforts, cleverly using nine-letter adjectives for which his daytime show is famed: “On behalf of all the judges I want to say well done to all the finalists because all of the cakes were beautiful, fantastic and delicious!” enthused Nick.

Nick Hewer

“I know it’s a cliché but the judging was a tough challenge and so my particular plaudits go to the two winners, who should feel very proud of their achievement!” he added.

Having been on display on the Awards’ stand at the show for much of the day, causing gasps of delight from many who saw the showstopping creations, the remainder of the cakes were then sliced up and offered to show visitors in return for donations to The Earl Spencer’s chosen Festival charity, DACT – Daventry Area Community Transport.

The Awards is therefore very grateful to Jeyes, Workbridge and the four other finalists – Bills Edible Art and Nutty and Nice Cakes, both from Northampton, Little White Cakery from Rushden and Silverstone Circuit – for donating their cakes, helping to raise just over £130.

For more details on the competition or for entry forms for the other Awards categories, including nomination forms for the ‘Independent Café / Tea Room’, ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero’, and ‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ categories, please visit the entry forms page of this website. Meanwhile to recommend your favourite pub, restaurant or café, please contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or Email Rachel

‘Countdown’ to a Royal Showstopper!

While Harry and Meghan tick off the days till they tie the knot at Windsor Castle, the ‘Countdown’ is also well and truly on to find the county’s best baker, thanks to the presenter of Channel 4’s favourite word quiz, Nick Hewer!

Nick, formerly Lord Sugar’s adviser on The Apprentice and who lives in the south of the county, is stepping up to the plate to join the judges of the newest category in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2018/19 and help determine which mouthwatering cake spectacular will take the title of ‘Royal Showstopper of the Year’!

The six finalists vying for the title are (in alphabetical order):

Bills Edible Art, Northampton

Jeyes of Earls Barton, Earls Barton

Little White Cakery, Rushden

Nutty and Nice Cakes, Wootton

Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone

Workbridge Coffee Shop, Northampton

The category, which has been made possible thanks to the generous additional support of sponsor Whitworth Bros Ltd Flour Millers in Wellingborough, was introduced not only to mark the Awards’ tenth year but also to celebrate Northamptonshire’s links with the royal family and will be judged at the Althorp Food Festival next Saturday 12th May, home of Prince Harry’s uncle, The Earl Spencer.

Despite his recent disastrous appearance on the recent Great British Bake Off – Stand Up 2 Cancer series, when Paul Hollywood had to step in with a wooden spoon, Awards Director Rachel Mallows MBE is sure that Nick will be great addition to the panel: “We’re absolutely thrilled that Nick is lending his support to the competition in this way and I’m certain that he’ll put everything he learned from Paul and Prue in the bake-off tent to best use when choosing his favourite!” explained Rachel.

“Thankfully he won’t be alone in choosing the winner as we have some great culinary talents who’ll ensure that the best entry – whether a Victoria sponge, Madeira or even a rich fruit cake – walks off with the first of our prestigious titles in this, our tenth year” she added.

Indeed, also joining Nick to sample the culinary creations is Consultant Chef to the England Football Association, Gavin Austin and former GBBO contestant Deborah Manger, who’s no stranger to the Awards, having judged the ‘Independent Café / Tea Room’ category since 2013: “Having been on the other side of the fence in the then BBC series, it’s great to be poacher turned gamekeeper and to have this opportunity to enjoy the great food that Northamptonshire has to offer” enthused Deborah.

“I can’t wait to tuck into what I know, from previous experience, will be some amazing bakes and what better way to look ahead to the royals’ special day than with a slice of showstopping cake?!” she added.

For entry forms for the other Awards categories, including nomination forms for the ‘Independent Café / Tea Room’, ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero’, and ‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ categories, please visit the entry forms page of this website. Meanwhile to recommend your favourite pub, restaurant or café, please contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or Email Rachel

The Althorp Food Festival is taking place on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May. For more information, including purchasing tickets priced at £8, please visit www.spencerofalthorp.com or find the Festival on Facebook and Twitter.

A decade of probably the finest culinary competition in the world!

The team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is delighted to announce that the competition has been launched for 2018/19 for its tenth year!

The Awards, which are run by the sector for the sector, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Also joining the prestigious line up is Northampton wholefood retailer Daily Bread, whose generous sponsorship has enabled the introduction of a new category aimed at vegetarian and vegan producers.

Meanwhile, thanks to further support from Whitworth Bros Ltd, a special award – ‘Royal Showstopper of the Year’ – will mark a decade of the competition by inviting bakers to celebrate Northamptonshire’s link with the forthcoming royal wedding by creating a cake which will be judged at the Althorp Food Festival in May, just a week before HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot.

In addition, the Awards Dinner in the autumn will again provide a platform to highlight successes in the county’s ‘Eat Out Eat Well’ scheme – the project managed by Environmental Health Northamptonshire which celebrates those eateries and catering companies that offer healthy and nutritious options on their menus – as well as the presentation of the ‘Chairman’s Award’, which is given in recognition of a particularly special contribution to the county’s food and drink sector.

The details of the 2018/19 competition were unveiled at the launch at Moulton College in Northampton (Thursday 8th March) – sponsor of the ‘Artisan Local Sweet Product of the Year’ – by the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows MBE DL of The Mallows Company.

Rachel also underlined the competition’s continuing commitment to growth with the news that the winners of the all the categories will again go on to receive tailored mentoring from experts on the Awards Mentoring Board, while the winners of the product and drink categories will be submitted as entries into the Great Taste Awards 2018 at the Northamptonshire Awards’ cost.

In addition, guests learned of the considerable business benefit that success in the competition can bring from the joint winners of the 2017/18 One To Watch category – Ian Horton from Ganders Goat in Cottingham and John Evans from Towcester Mill Brewery.

As Ian revealed, not only was gaining finalist status invaluable, but so too was securing a winner’s logo: “As part of the judging process, we had the opportunity to take advantage of the considerable business expertise of the panel to whom we presented, and as a result, we had a complete rethink of our branding, which is now coming to fruition” explained Ian.

“In addition, when taking our goat milk ice cream to potential stockists beyond the county, we found that the stamp of approval in being a Carlsberg UK award winner is something that rightly commands respect and has really helped to open doors for us” he added.

Meanwhile John reiterated the value of the publicity that comes with being a finalist in the Awards, including helping the brewery in finding new customers, and he encouraged potential entrants to get involved: “I was quite sceptical in the early years but having now enjoyed the benefits which success can bring, I’d urge others to take advantage of it.

“You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!” he enthused.

After the formal proceedings, the sponsors, supporters, and reigning champions then enjoyed a site visit to Moulton College’s new £5m Food and Drink Innovation Centre which is due to open to students in September.

Despite being under construction, guests were given a fascinating insight into the centre which will provide a bespoke facility to meet the skills and development needs of the sector as well as offer access to a commercial food processing unit and specialist testing equipment.

The event concluded with a Northamptonshire lunch made up of tasty treats from the Awards’ former winners and finalists, including pies from The Moulton Pie Company, meats from Sauls of Spratton, chutney from Northampton’s Friar’s Farm, cheese from Hamm Tun Fine Foods, apple juice from Floyers’ Fruit Farm at Flore and tea from Northampton’s Tea Lab Company.

For more details on all of the categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2018/19, including to request entry forms, to make a nomination in the ‘Independent Café / Tea Room’, ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero’, and ‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ categories, or to recommend your favourite pub or restaurant, please contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email using this link.

Alternatively, entry, nomination and register of interest forms as well as the terms and conditions are available on the ‘Entry Forms’ page of this website.

Jeff Whitaker

Rachel, Anna and the Awards team were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jeff Whitaker, co-founder and CEO of Awards sponsor Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment Ltd.

Jeff was a warm and generous supporter of the competition and, with his wife Vita, was driven not only to making their own company successful, but also to supporting the growth and talent of the food and drink sector in Northamptonshire, for which the county owes a great debt of gratitude.

Our thoughts are with Vita, his family, friends and his Whitco colleagues at this very difficult time.

Probably the finest culinary competition reaches its climax!

The team from The Hopping Hare, as winners of the ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’, collecting their trophy from William Sitwell, Sophie Grigson and Craig Wilkinson (far right) from category sponsor Booker. (David George, quoted in the presser, is the jubilant fellow on the left!)

After much anticipation and a great deal of excitement, the winners in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2017/18 are finally celebrating being named the best of the county’s best!

The competition, now in its ninth year, is aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The results were announced at a glittering Awards Dinner staged at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate (Wednesday 15th November) and those were (in presentation order and, in the case of two winners or runners-up, in alphabetical order):

F&B Achiever of the Year
(Sponsored by Howes Percival LLP)

Chairman’s Award

Winner: Alaric Neville – Phipps NBC, Northampton

The evening also shone a spotlight on Eat Out Eat Well, a national scheme run here in the county by Environmental Health Northamptonshire which rewards caterers and eateries who make it easier for their customers to make healthy choices, and saw the top scoring Gold venues from five of the seven borough and district councils being celebrated for their achievement. They are:

The winners of all the categories were presented with trophies which had been specially designed by the Awards team – a framed roman number IX, depicted as a spoon and crossed knife and fork, to represent the ninth year of the competition – by Awards Patrons William Sitwell and Sophie Grigson.
For the team at The Hopping Hare in Northampton, the evening was double cause for celebration for not only was 23 year-old Arturs Dzerins named runner-up in the ‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’ category, but the venue also took the ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ title.

Having been a regular finalist in the category and indeed the runner-up last year, owner David George was clearly thrilled to have clinched the top spot this time: “At the start of the year we set out to secure 2 AA Rosettes and win this title and we couldn’t be more delighted to have now achieved both!” explained David.
“The trophy will be put on pride of place behind the bar for not only our loyal customers to see but also those newcomers whom we know will now be wanting to visit to try our fabulous food, great service and outstanding value for money for themselves, thanks to this accolade!” he enthused.

Sadly missing from the proceedings was Antonio Carluccio OBE who passed away just a week before being due to follow in the footsteps of chefs Marcus Wareing, Jason Atherton and Michel Roux OBE as the evening’s special guest.

It was therefore appropriate that the event began with a toast to the man known as the ‘Godfather of Italian cooking’ led by his good friend William Sitwell before the formal welcomes from Awards Director, Rachel Mallows MBE DL of The Mallows Company, Bruce Ray, VP Global Government Relations and UK Corporate Affairs at Carlsberg and Stephen Catchpole who is the Chief Executive of SEMLEP.

Guests then enjoyed a sumptuous three course meal designed and created by Lee Scott of Tom Hewer Catering’s newest restaurant, Hisbiscus, with help from a team of culinary students from Northampton College who switched their regular classes for the experience of being part of the prestigious occasion.

Befitting a celebration of the excellence of the county’s food and drink sector, the menu included a wealth of Northamptonshire ingredients, including the runner-up goat cheese from Stanwick’s Neneview Dairy, winning marmalade from Nature’s Fayre of Thrapston, mayonnaise from Farrington Oils at Hargrave and runner-up goat milk gelato from Ganders Goat in Cottingham.

The culinary offering concluded with petits fours generously provided by Belflair Chocolates of Brackley with the tea coming courtesy of Northampton winners, the Tea Lab Company, the coffee from Great Brington Coffee and the milk from Newlands Farm at Hannington.

In addition, Carlsberg UK’s Bruce Ray also returned to the stage later in the evening to share news of an exciting project which the brewery is formally launching later this month – their first ‘Christmas Brew’ which will be sold only in Northamptonshire at some 30 pubs, bars and venues, with proceeds donated to Northamptonshire Community Foundation’s ‘Surviving Winter Appeal’.

Wareing, Atherton, Roux….Carluccio!

Having previously welcomed culinary greats Marcus Wareing, Jason Atherton and Michel Roux OBE as the special guest at its end-of year dinner, the team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is thrilled to announce that master chef Antonio Carluccio OBE will be performing the prize-giving honours at next month’s celebration.

The event being held at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate is considered one of the highlights of the county’s social calendar as chefs, restaurants, pubs and producers come together to celebrate the culmination of this prestigious competition.

Highly respected and warmly regarded, Antonio, who has more than 20 books as well as numerous TV appearances to his name, was awarded the OBE for his services to the catering industry by HM The Queen in 2007. Some nine years earlier he was similarly recognized in his home country with the title of Commendatore, the equivalent of a knighthood, while in 2012 his longstanding commitment to the sector saw his receiving the AA Hospitality Lifetime Achievement Award.

The chef, who lives by his motto ‘MOF MOF’ – minimum of fuss, maximum of flavour – says he’s thrilled to be coming to the county: “I’m very excited to be joining this special night and getting to know Northamptonshire’s wonderful food and drink sector.

“It’s an honour to be presenting the awards to people who obviously deserve them and it will be lovely to see the happiness behind it. It means something has been done well and somebody has noticed it” Antonio added.

For Awards Director Rachel Mallows MBE DL, welcoming the man known as the Godfather of Italian food is set to be the icing on the cake of another great year of the competition: “We were absolutely delighted that Antonio accepted our invitation to be with us, following as he does a trio of culinary greats, because we know having someone of such stature means so much to our finalists” explained Rachel.

“Of course, while Antonio knows everything there is to know about Italian food, we’re looking forward to ensuring that, by the end of the night, he is fully aware that Northamptonshire is a food and drink county that’s worthy of its place on the culinary map!” she enthused.

Among those waiting to learn if they will be picking up an award from the great man are those shortlisted in the new ‘One To Watch’ category. The four are (in alphabetical order):

As the category title suggests, this award was established to recognize those businesses younger than five years old, which, while already enjoying early success, are set to make a further impact on the sector and thereby raise the county’s profile at a regional or national level.

It was instigated thanks to Wellingborough-based sponsor Whitworth Bros Ltd Flour Millers in demonstration of their support and encouragement of the county’s entrepreneurs and increasing number of food and drink start-ups.

The last month has also seen the judging of the county’s finest eateries as they vie for the three prestigious venue titles. The first, ‘Restaurant of the Year’ (sponsored by Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment) saw the following six finalists selected (in alphabetical order):

In addition The Red Lion Pub and Dining at Cranford, while not making the final ‘Booker Food Pub’ shortlist, was awarded a ‘Highly Commended’.

The winners and runners-up in all of the categories will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton on Wednesday 15th November. For more details, please call Rachel on 01933 664437 or email us.

Let them eat cake!

Cllr Heather Smith tucks in!

While the rest of the nation eagerly anticipates the return of the ‘Great British Bake Off’, the county has been enjoying its own fix of flying flour and pulsating piping bags as some of the finest local cafés have been sieving, slicing and serving in a bid to take their own rather prestigious title – that of ‘Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year’ in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards!

The competition, which is now in its ninth year, is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

This category, sponsored by Pidy UK, firstly saw a group of generous volunteers from Northamptonshire WI traverse the county to pay two Mystery Shopping visits to each of the entries, before four finalists were chosen to compete at the bake-off at Northampton College. They were (in alphabetical order):

Forget Me Not Café, Moulton

The Apothocoffee Shop, Earls Barton

The Bread & Butter Factory, Northampton

Workbridge Coffee Shop, Northampton

The venues were asked to prepare, cook and serve a scone, a signature cake or biscuit and a drink to a team of ‘diners’ including the Leader of Northamptonshire County Council, Cllr Heather Smith, Suzanne Fairey, Commercial Manager at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, and local community leader Neelam Aggarwal MBE.

And while they whisked and baked they were being watched and scored on everything from hygiene to presentation, teamwork and of course taste by a panel of judges which included former cookery school director Mary Laing, Fabien Levet, who was proudly representing Pidy UK, and Deborah Manger, a contestant in the 2013 series of the ‘Great British Bake Off’.

Having been a judge in the county competition for the previous five years, Deborah is running out of superlatives to describe the event: “It’s obvious that the news about these awards has spread and the venues participating are just upping their game, year on year” explained Deborah.

“Not only did they create some amazing cakes and scones, which made the judging process as difficult as ever, but they did it all with such calmness which was great to watch. I was really very impressed!” she enthused.

The four finalists now have to wait until Wednesday 15th November to discover their fate when the winners and runners-up in all of the categories will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate.

For more details on the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2017/18, please contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email us. You can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodawards

Probably the finest chefs in Northamptonshire!

With a greater number of entries than ever before and a wealth of new companies engaging with the competition, a fresh line-up of county producers now find themselves battling it out for culinary glory in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The Awards, now in their ninth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The first judging session, staged at The Red Lion in East Haddon (as winner of the Great Service Award in last year’s Awards), saw a panel of judges including Katie Hewitt, Category Manager for spirits and soft drinks at Carlsberg UK and the editor of CAMRA’s What’s Brewing and BEER magazine, Tom Stainer, come together to choose their finalists in the two drinks categories. They are (in alphabetical order within the category):

New Local Drink of the Year:

Burnt Ox Blood – Nobby’s Brewing Co, Thrapston

Dream Catcher – Tea Lab Company, Northampton

Long Apple – Wharf Distillery, Potterspury

Oak Aged Gin – Phipps NBC, Northampton

Saxon Shield – Towcester Mill Brewery, Towcester

Winwick Gold – Healy’s of Winwick, Winwick

Artisan Local Drink of the Year:

Bell Ringer – Towcester Mill Brewery, Towcester

India Pale Ale – Phipps NBC, Northampton

Octane – Silverstone Real Ale Co, Silverstone

Old Nick’s Favourite – Brigstock Brewhouse, Brigstock

Pink Baron – New Lodge Vineyard, Earl’s Barton

Triple ‘F’ Pure Apple Juice – Floyer’s Fruit Farm, Flore

Merrimen Brewing in Litchborough was also awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ for their beer, Merri-ness.

Meanwhile, having already held a longlisting process in the two product categories, the shortlisting session staged at Holdenby House saw a panel of judges including Stephen Davies, Principal of category sponsor Moulton College, Saints and former England Saxons lock, Christian Day, and Food and Health Section Manager at Northamptonshire Trading Standards, Paul Maylunn tuck in to the array of tasty treats. The resulting finalists are (again in alphabetical order within the category):

Artisan Savoury Product of the Year (sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed):

Northamptonshire Blue – Hamm Tun Fine Foods, Hannington

Phipps Firkin – Neneview Dairy, Stanwick

Pilau Rice Kit – Punjaban, Northampton

Pork Pinwheels – Sauls of Spratton, Spratton

Stanwick Blue – Neneview Dairy, Stanwick

Tasty Tamarind Curry Base – Punjaban, Northampton

Artisan Sweet Product of the Year (sponsored by Moulton College):

Dark Espresso Chocolate – Seed and Bean, Corby

Gooseberry and Elderflower Gelato – Ganders Goat, Cottingham

Honey, Lemon and Ginger Marmalade – Nature’s Fayre, Thrapston

Northampton Marmalade – Friar’s Farm, Northampton

Raspberry and Amaretti Crunch Cake – Forget-Me-Not Café, Moulton

Vegan Tiramisu – Flo’s Kitchen, Northampton

Among the new finalists to be celebrating success in being shortlisted are Ian and Lauren Horton from Ganders Goat, an 11-acre goat farm at Cottingham near Corby, who learned of their success on their seventh wedding anniversary: “We couldn’t really have asked for a better present than the news that we’ve got through to the finals of these prestigious awards, especially as we’ve only been producing ice cream from our own goats’ milk for just over a year now” explained Ian.

“We’re absolutely delighted to think that the judges appreciated what we consider to be a really wonderful product and hope that this accolade will mean more people get to hear about us and are encouraged to try our delicious treats!” he added.

For the Awards Director, Rachel Mallows MBE, the line-up of finalists is a great indicator of the current health of the county’s food and drink sector: “I am really thrilled to see that some of our more established firms are continuing to hold their own, particularly as many of them are former finalists and winners, which just goes to show what value they place on the awards” revealed Rachel.

“But I’m equally pleased to see the new names on the shortlists as it shows the talent of business that is coming through, which all helps to create healthy competition and drive up standards as we’ve seen happen so successfully across the sector over the last nine years” she enthused.

The winners and runners-up in the four categories will be decided by a second panel of judges later in the year and the results, along with those of the other categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place in November.

For more details on the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2017/18, please contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email us. You can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodawards

Fresh faces in food and drink battle!

With a greater number of entries than ever before and a wealth of new companies engaging with the competition, a fresh line-up of county producers now find themselves battling it out for culinary glory in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The Awards, now in their ninth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The first judging session, staged at The Red Lion in East Haddon (as winner of the Great Service Award in last year’s Awards), saw a panel of judges including Katie Hewitt, Category Manager for spirits and soft drinks at Carlsberg UK and the editor of CAMRA’s What’s Brewing and BEER magazine, Tom Stainer, come together to choose their finalists in the two drinks categories. They are (in alphabetical order within the category):

New Local Drink of the Year:

Burnt Ox Blood – Nobby’s Brewing Co, Thrapston

Dream Catcher – Tea Lab Company, Northampton

Long Apple – Wharf Distillery, Potterspury

Oak Aged Gin – Phipps NBC, Northampton

Saxon Shield – Towcester Mill Brewery, Towcester

Winwick Gold – Healy’s of Winwick, Winwick

Artisan Local Drink of the Year:

Bell Ringer – Towcester Mill Brewery, Towcester

India Pale Ale – Phipps NBC, Northampton

Octane – Silverstone Real Ale Co, Silverstone

Old Nick’s Favourite – Brigstock Brewhouse, Brigstock

Pink Baron – New Lodge Vineyard, Earl’s Barton

Triple ‘F’ Pure Apple Juice – Floyer’s Fruit Farm, Flore

Merrimen Brewing in Litchborough was also awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ for their beer, Merri-ness.

Meanwhile, having already held a longlisting process in the two product categories, the shortlisting session staged at Holdenby House saw a panel of judges including Stephen Davies, Principal of category sponsor Moulton College, Saints and former England Saxons lock, Christian Day, and Food and Health Section Manager at Northamptonshire Trading Standards, Paul Maylunn tuck in to the array of tasty treats. The resulting finalists are (again in alphabetical order within the category):

Artisan Savoury Product of the Year (sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed):

Northamptonshire Blue – Hamm Tun Fine Foods, Hannington

Phipps Firkin – Neneview Dairy, Stanwick

Pilau Rice Kit – Punjaban, Northampton

Pork Pinwheels – Sauls of Spratton, Spratton

Stanwick Blue – Neneview Dairy, Stanwick

Tasty Tamarind Curry Base – Punjaban, Northampton

Artisan Sweet Product of the Year (sponsored by Moulton College):

Dark Espresso Chocolate – Seed and Bean, Corby

Gooseberry and Elderflower Gelato – Ganders Goat, Cottingham

Honey, Lemon and Ginger Marmalade – Nature’s Fayre, Thrapston

Northampton Marmalade – Friar’s Farm, Northampton

Raspberry and Amaretti Crunch Cake – Forget-Me-Not Café, Moulton

Vegan Tiramisu – Flo’s Kitchen, Northampton

Among the new finalists to be celebrating success in being shortlisted are Ian and Lauren Horton from Ganders Goat, an 11-acre goat farm at Cottingham near Corby, who learned of their success on their seventh wedding anniversary: “We couldn’t really have asked for a better present than the news that we’ve got through to the finals of these prestigious awards, especially as we’ve only been producing ice cream from our own goats’ milk for just over a year now” explained Ian.

“We’re absolutely delighted to think that the judges appreciated what we consider to be a really wonderful product and hope that this accolade will mean more people get to hear about us and are encouraged to try our delicious treats!” he added.

For the Awards Director, Rachel Mallows MBE, the line-up of finalists is a great indicator of the current health of the county’s food and drink sector: “I am really thrilled to see that some of our more established firms are continuing to hold their own, particularly as many of them are former finalists and winners, which just goes to show what value they place on the awards” revealed Rachel.

“But I’m equally pleased to see the new names on the shortlists as it shows the talent of business that is coming through, which all helps to create healthy competition and drive up standards as we’ve seen happen so successfully across the sector over the last nine years” she enthused.

The winners and runners-up in the four categories will be decided by a second panel of judges later in the year and the results, along with those of the other categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place in November.

Probably The Finest Culinary Competition In The World Is Back!

‘Michel Roux OBE, who presented the trophies at the 2016 Awards Dinner in November’

The team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is delighted to announce that the competition has been launched for 2017 for what is expected to be its best year yet!

The Awards are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Thanks to ongoing support from its existing sponsors, including headline sponsor Carlsberg UK, Booker, British Pepper & Spice, Cordant People, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed, Moulton College, Northamptonshire County Council, Pidy UK, Weetabix, Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment, Whitworth Bros Ltd Flour Millers, and the addition of two new sponsors, Howes Percival LLP and Northampton College, as well as support from SEMLEP, the Awards line-up has a new look (media partners in brackets):

‘Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year’ – sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed (BBC Radio Northampton)

‘Artisan Local Sweet Product of the Year’ – sponsored by Moulton College (BBC Radio Northampton)

‘Chef of the Year’ – co-sponsored by Dawn Farms and Cordant People (NeneQuirer)

‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’ – sponsored by Booker (NeneQuirer)

‘Community Pub of the Year’ – sponsored by Carlsberg UK

‘Weetabix Local Food Hero of the Year’ – sponsored by Weetabix with Northamptonshire CPRE (Aspire Magazine)

‘Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year’ – sponsored by Northamptonshire County Council

‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ – sponsored by Howes Percival LLP

‘Farming Innovation Award’ – sponsored by the Weetabix Growers Group with the NFU

‘Great Service Award’ – sponsored by Northampton College

In addition, the Awards Dinner in November will again provide a platform to highlight successes in the county’s ‘Eat Out Eat Well’ scheme – the project managed by Environmental Health Northamptonshire which celebrates those eateries and catering companies that offer healthy and nutritious options on their menus – as well as the presentation of the ‘Chairman’s Award’, which is given in recognition of a particularly special contribution to the county’s food and drink sector.

The details of the 2017/18 competition were unveiled at the launch at Dawn Farms in Northampton (Thursday 30th March) – co-sponsor of the ‘Chef of the Year’ category – by the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company.

Among the changes she announced to the audience made up of reigning champions, sponsors, judges and competition partners was the introduction of the new category for 2017, the ‘One To Watch’, which will recognize the passion and commitment of businesses less than five years old which look set to have a major impact on the national and international markets, thereby raising the profile of Northamptonshire’s food and drink sector.

Meanwhile Rachel also underlined the competition’s continuing commitment to growth with the news that the winners of the all the categories will go on to receive tailored mentoring from experts on the Awards Mentoring Board, while the winners of the product and drink categories will be submitted as entries into the Great Taste Awards 2017 at the Northamptonshire Awards’ cost.

The competition also sees the return of the ‘Community Pub of the Year’ category, sponsored by Carlsberg UK, which replaces the Best Bar None categories of 2016/17 and celebrate those pubs which stand at the heart of their communities.

In addition, guests learned of the considerable business benefit that success in the competition can bring from Jim Kay, co-owner of the current ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’, the Plough @ Shutlanger: “Aside from having such a great night at the awards dinner itself back in November, the resulting publicity has meant the ‘phones have not stopped ringing off the hook for the last few months” explained Jim.

“We’re taking bookings weeks in advance now and there doesn’t seem to be any end to it, so it’s going to be a busy summer ahead!” he enthused.

To set taste buds watering, guests were treated on arrival to a selection of mouthwatering biscuits from award-winner Most Marvellous Baking in Northampton and a glass of Ashmead’s Kernel Apple Juice from New Creation Farm in Nether Heyford.

After the formal proceedings they then enjoyed a tour of the Dawn Farms factory and a butchery masterclass before tucking into a lunch provided by the hosts which used not only a range of their own meat products but also a number of Northamptonshire treats from award winners and finalists, including cheese from The Little Smokehouse in Wellingborough and Neneview Dairy at Stanwick, Honeyed Real Ale Chutney from Thrapston’s Nature’s Fayre, a selection of salad dressings from Farrington Oils in Hargrave and Strawberries Ice Cream generously provided by I’m Real in Northampton.

For more details on all of the categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2017/18, including to request entry forms, to make a nomination in the ‘Independent Café / Tea Room’, ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero’, ‘Healthy Eating Workplace’ and ‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ categories, or to recommend your favourite pub, restaurant or spice restaurant, please contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email rachel@themallowscompany.com Alternatively entry, nomination and register of interest forms as well as the terms and conditions are available on the ‘Entry Forms’ page of this website.

News for 2016

After much anticipation and a great deal of excitement, the winners in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2016 /17 are finally celebrating being named the best of the county’s best!

The competition, now in its eighth year is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The results were announced at a glittering Awards Dinner (Thurs 3rd November) staged at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in Northampton and watched by the evening’s special guest, Michel Roux OBE (Snr). Those were (in presentation order and, in the case of two winners or runners-up, in alphabetical order):

F&B Achiever of the Year

Winner: Angus and Kirsty Clarke of Waterloo Cottage Farm, Great OxendonWinner: The Jeyes Family of The Apothocoffee Shop, Earls Barton

Chairman’s Award

Winner: Paul McManus of The McManus Pub Company, Northampton

Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year
(sponsored by Northamptonshire County Council)

Spice Restaurant of the Year
(sponsored by British Pepper & Spice)

Great Service Award

Winner: The Red Lion, East Haddon

The evening also put a spotlight on Eat Out Eat Well, a national scheme run here in the county by Environmental Health Northamptonshire which rewards caterers and eateries who make it easier for their customers to make healthy choices, and saw the top scoring Gold venues from five of the seven borough and district councils being celebrated for their achievement. They are:

The winners of all the categories were presented with a trophy – a specially commissioned bone china jug designed by Newnham-based Susan Rose China – by Michel and the categories’ respective sponsors.

Welcoming guests to the event were the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, Bruce Ray, VP Global Government Relations and UK Corporate Affairs at Carlsberg and Stephen Catchpole who is the Chief Executive of SEMLEP.

Guests made up of finalists, judges, sponsors, media partners and supporters including Awards Patrons William Sitwell, Sophie Grigson and Mary Laing then enjoyed a sumptuous three course meal designed and created by Lee Scott, with help from a team of culinary students from Northampton College who switched their regular classes for the experience of being part of the prestigious event.

The menu included a starter of duck parfait, sticky duck bun with local honey from Beeline Apiculture at Castle Ashby and toasted local sourdough from The Good Loaf in Northampton, the main course of beef generously provided by Booker, while the pudding was a twist on a black forest gateau using Caffè Mocha Milk Chocolate from finalists Seed and Bean in Corby and served with a kirsch cream using cream from Newlands Farm at Hannington. The culinary offering concluded with petits fours generously provided by Belflair Chocolates of Brackley.

To watch the videos of the Chef and Booker Young Chef of the Year cook-offs and the bake-off in the Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year category, please visit our gallery page while you can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foodawards

If you are an organisation, business or individual interested in taking part in, or sponsoring, next year’s Awards, please contact Rachel at The Mallows Company on 01933 664437.

Probably the finest culinary competition in the world nears its climax!

With less than a fortnight to go till the winners in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards are announced, we can now reveal the finalists in all eighteen categories in the competition!

Those vying for the respective titles (in alphabetical order within their category) are:

The results of these eighteen categories, and those of two additional titles being presented this year – the Chairman’s Award and the Great Service Award – as well as those venues being celebrated in the county’s Eat Out Eat Well scheme, will be revealed at this year’s Awards Dinner being held at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club on Thursday 3rd November in the presence of Michel Roux OBE (Snr).

Probably the finest eateries in the world!

Getting a table at some of the county’s finest eateries just got that little bit tougher with the announcement of the finalists vying for three of the prestigious venue titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards!

The Awards, now in their eighth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Among the accolades up for grabs are those for ‘Restaurant of the Year’ (sponsored by Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment), ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ (sponsored by Booker) and ‘Spice Restaurant of the Year’ (sponsored by British Pepper & Spice) and the respective finalists are (in alphabetical order in each category):

Meanwhile, although not shortlisted, the Barley Mow in Paulerspury and The White Hart at Grafton Regis were awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ category.
Having already been secretly assessed as part of the shortlisting process, the finalists will now be visited by two external Mystery Shoppers to score them on everything from staff knowledge of the menu, use of local ingredients, speed of service, and of course the quality of the food itself!

For obvious reasons, the identities of the Mystery Shoppers are being kept secret but the happy task has previously been performed by the likes of TV chef Sophie Grigson and the former editor of the Good Food Guide, Jim Ainsworth!

The winners and runners-up in those and indeed all eighteen categories of the Awards will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club on Thursday 3rd November.

For more details on the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2016/17, including purchasing dinner tickets priced at £100 (plus VAT) or £950 (plus VAT) for a table of ten, please visit the Awards’ website at www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk or contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email us using this link. You can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodawards

Northamptonshire’s tastiest treats revealed!

The oven gloves are now firmly off among some of the county’s finest producers as they battle for it out for culinary glory in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The Awards, now in their eighth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

After much deliberating, cogitating and digesting by two select panels of experts at the recent drink and product judging sessions, staged at the reigning ‘Best Bar None – Town Pub of the Year’, The Artisan in Northampton, and Holdenby House respectively, the shortlisted finalists in the five categories have been chosen from a record number of entries. They are (in alphabetical order within the category):

Artisan Savoury Product of the Year:

Among the new finalists to be celebrating success in being shortlisted in both drinks categories is Tom Maule, the founder of The Maule Brewing Co; “We’re delighted that two of our drinks have been shortlisted as finalists after having entered this prestigious competition for the first time this year” explained Tom.

“As a truly independent, Northampton-based business it means a lot to us that our hard work and the quality of products have been recognised in a very competitive market” he added.

The winners and runners-up in all five categories will be decided by a second panel of judges later in the year and the results, along with those of the other thirteen categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club on Thursday 3rd November.

For more details on all eighteen categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2016/17, please call Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or or email us using this link. You can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodawards.

Probably The Finest Culinary Competition In The World Is Back!

The team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is delighted to announce that the competition has been launched for 2016 for what is expected to be its best year yet!

The Awards are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Thanks to ongoing support from its existing sponsors, including headline sponsor Carlsberg UK, Booker, British Pepper & Spice, Cordant People, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed, Moulton College, Northamptonshire County Council, Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police, Pidy UK, TMI Foods, Weetabix, Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment, Whitworth Bros Ltd Flour Millers, and the addition of a new sponsor, the Weetabix Growers Group, the category line-up has a new look (media partners in brackets):

‘Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year’sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed(BBC Radio Northampton)

‘Artisan Local Sweet Product of the Year’sponsored by Moulton College(BBC Radio Northampton)

‘Artisan Local Drink of the Year’(BBC Radio Northampton)

‘New Local Product of the Year’sponsored by Whitworth Bros. Ltd Flour Millers(BBC Radio Northampton)

‘New Local Drink of the Year’(BBC Radio Northampton)

‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’sponsored by Booker(Great Food Club)

‘Restaurant of the Year’sponsored by Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment(Business Times)

‘Chef of the Year’sponsored by TMI Foods and Cordant People(Northants Herald & Post)

‘Booker Young Chef of the Year’sponsored by Booker(Northants Herald & Post)

‘Best Bar None – Town Pub of the Year’sponsored by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police(Chronicle & Echo and Northamptonshire Telegraph)

‘Best Bar None – Rural Pub of the Year’sponsored by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police(Chronicle & Echo and Northamptonshire Telegraph)

‘Best Bar None – Late Night Venue of the Year’sponsored by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police(Chronicle & Echo and Northamptonshire Telegraph)

‘Weetabix Local Food Hero of the Year’sponsored by Weetabix with Northamptonshire CPRE(Aspire Magazine)

‘Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year’sponsored by Northamptonshire County Council

‘F&B Achiever of the Year’sponsored by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership

‘Farming Innovation Award’sponsored by the Weetabix Growers Group with the NFU

The details of the 2016/17 competition were unveiled at the launch at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth (Thursday 17th March) – one of the winners of the ‘Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year’ category in 2015 – by the Awards Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company.

Among the changes she announced to the audience made up of reigning champions, sponsors, judges and competition partners was the introduction of the new category for 2016, the Farming Innovation Award, which will recognize those primary producers who have introduced modern techniques on their arable, livestock or mixed farms to become more environmentally friendly or to raise standards in animal welfare and food production.

The category has been introduced thanks to the support of new sponsor, the Weetabix Growers Group, which is made up of environmentally aware farmers within a 50 mile radius of the company’s Burton Latimer mills who grow and harvest wheat for the cereal-maker, and is backed by the NFU (National Farmers Union).

Meanwhile winners of the five product and drink categories will be given a boost by receiving not only tailored business support from experts on the newly-created Awards Mentoring Board but also free entry into the Great Taste Awards 2017.

In addition, the Awards Dinner in November will also provide a platform to highlight successes in the county’s ‘Eat Out Eat Well’ scheme which is managed by Environmental Health Northamptonshire and which celebrates those eateries and catering companies which offer healthy and nutritious options on their menus.

Rachel explained the value of the awards in recognizing the important role that the sector plays in the county; “With one in seven jobs now in food and drink, this industry is a vital player in Northamptonshire’s economy and we’re delighted that the competition has played its part over the last seven years in increasing tourism spend, boosting business development and creating jobs.”

“So on behalf of the hundreds of pubs, cafes, producers chef and indeed all of our finalists, runners-up and winners of the last seven years, we are thrilled not only to have the continuing support of our sponsors but also to welcome the Weetabix Growers Group to the fold and are confident that this year will be the biggest and best yet!”

To set taste buds watering, guests tucked into a selection of some of the healthy breakfasts which led in part to Mercedes’ success in the competition, created by Catering Manager James Ingram. Following the speeches, they were also treated to a tour of the company’s state-of-the-art, purpose-built factory where it designs, manufactures and tests Formula 1 power units.

For more details on all of the categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2016/17, including to request entry forms, to make a nomination in the ‘Independent Café / Tea Room’, ‘Weetabix Local Food Hero’, ‘Healthy Eating Workplace’ and ‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ categories, or recommending your favourite pub, restaurant or spice restaurant, please visit contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email us using this link.

Alternatively entry, nomination and register of interest forms as well as the terms and conditions are available on the ‘Entry Forms’ page of this website.

News for 2015

After much anticipation and a great deal of excitement, the 21 winners in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2015/16 are finally celebrating being named the best of the county’s best!

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is now in its seventh year and is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The results were announced at a glittering Awards Dinner (Thurs 15th October) staged at Royal & Derngate in Northampton and watched by the evening’s special guest, former Celebrity Masterchef finalist, journalist and comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli. Those were (in presentation order):

Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year
(Sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed)

Spice Restaurant of the Year
(sponsored by British Pepper & Spice)

The winners were each presented with a trophy – a framed miniature chef’s apron created by Northampton apron makers Griff’s – by Hardeep and the categories’ respective sponsors.

Welcoming guests to the event were the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, and Bruce Ray, Corporate Affairs Director at Carlsberg UK, who spoke about the company’s increasing pride at being part of the growth and recognition of the sector in its ‘home’ county. He also pledged the company’s continuing financial support for next year, which was echoed by each of the other 13 sponsors.

Guests made up of finalists, judges, sponsors, media partners and supporters then enjoyed a sumptuous three course meal designed and created by chef patron of Towcester’s La Strada Nuova, Lee Scott, with help from a team of culinary students from Northampton College who switched their regular classes for the experience of being part of the prestigious event.

The menu included a starter of local trout with beetroot textures using beetroot chutney from Limes Farm at Farthinghoe or a local goat cheese crostini, the goat cheese coming from triple finalists NeneView Dairy at Stanwick, a main course of pork provided by Booker and using apples from New Creation Farm at Nether Heyford and honey from Beeline Apiculture at Bozeat, while the pudding was a panna cotta made with local white chocolate from Belflair Chocolates in Brackley and honeyed damson preserve from Nature’s Fayre in Thrapston.

Among those celebrating at the end of the evening were Amanda and Phil Saxby from Saxby’s Cider in Irchester whose Plum Cider took the ‘New Drink of the Year’ title. As Phil explained, he believes the accolade will be a real boost to business; “Of course we think it is a great drink but it’s super that the judges thought so too and I’m sure this success can only help us when we approach potential stockists.

“Aside from winning it was a really fabulous event and wonderful to see the county’s thriving food and drink businesses coming together to celebrate on such a special night for the sector!” he added.

To watch the videos of the Chef and Young Chef of the Year cook-offs and the bake-off in the Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year category, please click here. You can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foodawards

If you are an organisation, business or individual interested in taking part in, or sponsoring, next year’s Awards, please contact Rachel at The Mallows Company on 01933 664437.

Probably the best culinary competition in the world reaches its climax!

With less than a month to go till the winners in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards are announced, the finalists in the remaining four categories have been announced!

The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) and now in their seventh year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Joining the nervous finalists of the other 14 categories are those bidding for the titles in the two ‘Healthy Eating Workplace’ categories (sponsored by Northamptonshire County Council) and the two categories which offer a public pat on the back to those who are making a real difference to the food and drink sector in the county – those of ‘F&B Achiever of the Year’ and ‘Local Food Hero of the Year’ (sponsored by Weetabix and partnered by Northamptonshire CPRE).

While those in the reckoning to be named ‘Local Food Hero of the Year’ are (again alphabetically):

The judging of that final category took place at the Burton Latimer headquarters of sponsors Weetabix and the company’s Head of Procurement, Anthony Bowdidge, was among the panel who faced the difficult task of choosing the shortlist from the array of public nominations which the category received; “Having performed this role last year, I couldn’t imagine that we could possibly attract a similar calibre of nominees this year, yet the standard was amazing” explained Anthony.

“The number of people and businesses doing such great things to promote the local food sector here in the county is remarkable and we could have chosen a dozen finalists, but in the end these five really stood out. On behalf of Weetabix I offer them many congratulations and wish good luck to them all as they wait to hear who has won!” he added.

The winner of those and indeed all 18 categories in the Awards will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate on Thursday 15th October.

Meanwhile you can help to determine the winners in the three ‘Best Bar None’ categories (sponsored by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police) and the three dining venue categories of ‘Restaurant of the Year’ (sponsored by Whitco), ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ (sponsored by Booker) and ‘Spice Restaurant of the Year’ (sponsored by British Pepper & Spice) by voting for your favourites.

To cast your vote and to be entered into a prize draw to win a set of family tickets to see Cinderella at Royal & Derngate this Christmas, please visit the Awards’ website – www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk

Voting closes at midnight on 4th October.

Finally for more details on the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2015/16, including purchasing dinner tickets priced at £100 (plus VAT) or £950 (plus VAT) for a table of ten, contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email emailing us using our contact form. You can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodawards

Northamptonshire’s finest venues vie for your votes!

With the cutlery polished, aprons ironed and glasses sparkling, some of the county’s finest drinking holes and dining venues are now going head to head to see who will pick up six of the prestigious venue titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards – and YOU can help to decide who wins!

The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) and now in their seventh year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Among the titles up for grabs are those for ‘Restaurant of the Year’ (sponsored by Whitco), ‘Spice Restaurant of the Year’ (sponsored by British Pepper & Spice) and ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ (sponsored by Booker) while the finalist venues in the three ‘Best Bar None’ categories (sponsored by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner) are hoping for your stamp of approval to help them win the ‘Public Vote’ award!

The finalists in the ‘Best Bar None – Town Pub of the Year’ category are
(in alphabetical order):

The Abington, Northampton

The Artizan, Northampton

The Princess Alexandra, Northampton

The Saxon Crown, Corby

The Swan and Helmet, Northampton

Those in the ‘Best Bar None – Rural Pub of the Year’ category are
(in alphabetical order):

The Old Kings Head, Long Buckby

The Sun Inn, Kislingbury

The White Horse, Old

While those vying for the title of ‘Best Bar None – Late Night Venue of the Year’ are (again alphabetically):

Aspers Casino, Northampton

Bar So, Northampton

Bootleggers, Northampton

To cast your vote for your favourite in each category, and to be entered into a prize draw to win a set of family tickets to see Cinderella at Royal & Derngate this Christmas, please click on the voting link on our home page.

Meanwhile the finalists in the dining venue categories are on tenterhooks as two expert Mystery Shoppers will be visiting throughout this month to assess them on everything from knowledge of staff, use of local ingredients, speed of service, and of course the quality of the food itself!

For obvious reasons, the identities of the Mystery Shoppers are being kept secret but the happy task has previously been performed by the likes of TV chef Sophie Grigson and the former editor of the Good Food Guide, Jim Ainsworth!

The finalists in the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ category
(sponsored by Whitco) are:

Barton Hall Hotel and Vines Brasserie, Kettering

Clary’s Restaurant at Aspers Casino, Northampton

Mu Mu, Kettering

Sophia’s Restaurant, Northampton

Tap and Kitchen, Oundle

The Smoke Pit, Northampton

While those in the reckoning for the ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ title (sponsored by Booker) are:

The Four Pears, Little Houghton

The Hopping Hare, Northampton

The Plough @ Shutlanger, Shutlanger

The Rose & Crown, Yardley Hastings

The White Horse, Old

Lastly, those vying to be named ‘Spice Restaurant of the Year’ (sponsored by British Pepper & Spice) are:

Bengal Brasserie, Thrapston

Dhan Shiri, Brackley

Mem-Saab, Northampton

Shajahan, Wollaston

Voujon, Long Buckby

Again, fans of those sixteen finalists are encouraged to show their support for their favourites by voting and in doing so, will also be entered into the prize draw.

Voting in all six categories closes on Sunday 4th October and the results, along with those of the other twelve categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate on Thursday 15th October.

For more details on all eighteen categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2015/16, including purchasing dinner tickets priced at £100 (plus VAT) or £950 (plus VAT) for a table of ten, please call Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or emailing us using our contact form You can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodawards.

Paul Hollywood – eat your heart out!

With their blenders whirring and cake plates polished, some of the county’s finest cafés have been battling it out in the hope of being named ‘Independent Café/Tea Room of the Year’ in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards!

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is now in its seventh year and is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Using the details from their entry forms and the reviews from mystery shopping of all the entries which flooded in from all corners of the county, the six finalists chosen to compete at the bake-off at Northampton College were (in alphabetical order):

The venues were asked to prepare, cook and serve a scone, a signature cake or biscuit and a drink to a team of ‘diners’, including Dawn Knott from category sponsor Pidy UK, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire County Council, Paul Blantern, and Northampton North MP Michael Ellis who is himself no stranger to baking glory being the current Parliamentary cupcake champion!

And while they sieved, whisked and sliced they were being watched and scored on everything from hygiene to organisation, service and of course taste by a panel of judges which included food consultant Claire Jezard, former cookery school director Mary Laing and Deborah Manger, a contestant in the 2013 series of the BBC’s ‘Great British Bake Off’ who, as a judge at the event for the last three years, was impressed by all those taking part; “I’m always thrilled to be invited to this wonderful event and each year, I can’t quite believe that the standard could possibly get any better – yet it does!” explained Deborah.

“From their use of fine local ingredients, to their impressive piping and decorating skills, not to mention their delicious finished products, each of these venues was worthy of the title and I urge anyone in search of a tasty treat to go out and try them!” she enthused.

The six finalists now have to wait until Thursday 15th October to discover their fate when the winners and runners-up in all 18 categories will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton. Tickets priced at £100 (plus VAT) or £900 (plus VAT) for a table of ten are available by calling Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or emailing us using our contact form

Probably the finest chefs in Northamptonshire!

With the saucepans bubbling and the frying pans sizzling, some of the county’s finest chefs have been battling it out to win two of the prestigious titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is now in its seventh year and is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The accolades being vied for were those of ‘Young Chef of the Year’ (sponsored by Booker), for budding culinary stars aged 18-25, and ‘Chef of the Year’ (sponsored by TMI Foods and Cordant People) for those over 25.

Those competing for the senior title were (in alphabetical order):

Adam Church of Franks Steakhouse, Northampton

Lee Gaskins of The Terrace Restaurant at Highgate House, Creaton

David Simms of The Talbot Hotel, Oundle

John Tipson of The George & Dragon, Chacombe

Richard Walker of Fawsley Hall Hotel, Fawsley

The five, shortlisted from a record number of entries, were invited to the impressive kitchens of Northampton College to take part in a ‘Ready Steady Cook’ style challenge to prepare two courses, each being provided with a selection of store cupboard products from Awards sponsors Booker, including a shoulder of lamb, as well as their key Northamptonshire ingredients of rapeseed oil from Farrington Oils at Hargrave, cider from Saxby’s Cider at Irchester and rhubarb gin from Harrington-based Warner Edwards.

They were watched throughout the three-hour process by an expert panel of judges including Chef and Development Manager at category co-sponsor TMI Foods, Aaron Melly, former chef and now Northampton Branch Manager at category co-sponsor Cordant People, Chris Fleming, and Andy Ives, who trained at Tresham College in Corby and who is now Head Chef at Sunningdale Golf Club. Each observed, quizzed and scored the chefs before tucking into their varied dishes including braised lamb shoulder with a vegetable medley, herb-coated lamb with asparagus and tomato tortellini and rhubarb gin pannacotta with a white chocolate parfait.

For Andy, selecting a winner was an incredibly difficult decision; “It’s a real privilege to have been invited back to the county and to watch these talented chefs in action” he explained.

“Using some great local produce, they each demonstrated skills that the top chefs in London would be proud of and having to choose the best was a real challenge!” he added.

The second cook-off, also at Northampton College, saw some of the county’s finest up and coming chefs battle it out in the semi-final of the ‘Young Chef of the Year’. Like their senior counterparts, they too were provided with a basket of kitchen ingredients, including chicken legs, by sponsors Booker as well as the local rapeseed oil and rhubarb gin from which they had to create a main course for two people.

Drawing upon their wide variety of cooking talents, they served up a wonderful array of dishes for the judges – everything from ballotine of chicken with a coriander, lemon and thyme stuffing to dry-rubbed curried chicken legs to chicken fricassee with a warm new potato and asparagus salad.

Those contending with the tricky, but enjoyable task of choosing the finalists were Northampton College catering lecturer Richard Curtis, Peter Saunders, who is Catering Development Manager with category sponsor Booker, and Lee Scott, formerly head chef at the Silverstone circuit and now with his own restaurant, La Strada Nouva, in Towcester; “It’s really great to see that Northamptonshire is bursting with young culinary talent” explained Lee, “and to watch the chefs turn their ingredients into seven such varied dishes was quite something”.

“We were all really impressed by the skills they’re showing so early in their careers and I’m only sorry that I can’t be at the final because I know the judges are set for a wonderful morning!”

The five finalists, who now go forward to compete for the ‘Young Chef of the Year’ title in the final cook-off at Tresham College in Corby in August, are (in alphabetical order):

Ceara Campbell from The Manor House, Corby

Tamsin Hamilton-Testrote from Kettering Park Hotel, Kettering

Perry Langley from Nuovo, Northampton

Ben Williams from Franks Steakhouse, Northampton

Christian Young from The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough

All finalists now have until Thursday 15th October to discover their fate when the winners and runners-up in all 18 categories of this year’s Awards will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton.

Northamptonshire’s Tastiest Treats Revealed

The oven gloves are now firmly off among some of the county’s finest producers as they battle for it out for culinary glory in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) and now in their seventh year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

After much deliberating, cogitating and digesting by two select panels of experts at the recent product and drink judging sessions staged at Holdenby House and at the reigning ‘Community Pub of the Year – Town’, The Malt Shovel Tavern in Northampton respectively, the shortlisted finalists in the five categories have been chosen from a record number of entries. They are (in alphabetical order within the category):

New Local Drink of the Year:

Additionally, while not shortlisted, One Track Mind from Brigstock Brewery at Brigstock was also ‘Commended’ by the judges in the ‘New Local Drink’ category.

Among those new finalists to be celebrating their success is John Evans from Towcester Mill Brewery; “We’re absolutely thrilled that we have been shortlisted, especially as we’ve just marked the first anniversary of the opening of the newly refurbished brewery after we moved into the town from Whittlebury” explained John.

“It’s been a lot of hard work in bringing the old mill back to life but this helps to make all that effort worthwhile and we shall certainly be pulling a few pints in our community tap room to celebrate!” he added.

Those are sentiments echoed by Vicky Robertson of Most Marvellous Baking in Northampton who is a triple finalist across two categories this year with her granola and rhubarb and ginger cake; “The publicity I had from being shortlisted last year brought a real boost to my business so I’m delighted to have been successful again” explained Vicky.

“My cake uses rhubarb gin from one of last year’s winners, Warner Edwards, so here’s hoping that that might be the magic ingredient to take at least one of the titles this year!”she enthused.

The winners and runners-up in all five categories will be decided by a second panel of judges later in the year and the results, along with those of the other thirteen categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton on Thursday 15th October.

Meanwhile visitors to both the Northamptonshire Food Show at Holdenby on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September and the Althorp Food Festival on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th September will have chance to sample some of the twenty-four shortlisted products and drinks.

Probably The Finest Culinary Competition In The World Is Back!

The team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is delighted to announce that the competition has been launched for 2015 for what is expected to be its ‘magnificent seventh’ year!

The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Thanks to ongoing support from NEP, its other sponsors and partners, including headline sponsor Carlsberg UK, Booker, British Pepper & Spice, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed, Moulton College, Northamptonshire County Council, Pidy UK, Weetabix, Whitco and Whitworth Bros Ltd and the addition of two new sponsors – the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police and TMI Foods – the competition has yet again expanded to an impressive eighteen categories – those being (with the media partners in brackets):

‘Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year’ sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed (BBC Radio Northampton)

‘Artisan Local Sweet Product of the Year’ sponsored by Moulton College (BBC Radio Northampton)

‘Artisan Local Drink of the Year’ (BBC Radio Northampton)

‘New Local Product of the Year’ sponsored by Whitworth Bros. Ltd (BBC Radio Northampton)

‘Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year’ Health and Education’ sponsored by Northamptonshire County Council

‘Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year” Private Sector’ sponsored by Northamptonshire County Council

‘F&B Achiever of the Year‘

The details of the new-look competition were revealed at the launch in the new £1.2m Quality and Innovation Building of Whitworth Bros. Ltd flour millers’ Wellingborough headquarters (Tuesday 3rd March) by NEP’s Chairman John Markham OBE. Speaking before an audience made up of reigning champions, sponsors, judges and competition partners, he explained the importance of the awards in recognising the important role that the sector plays in the county;“It has long been recognised that Northamptonshire’s economy benefits hugely from the food and drink sector, currently contributing £1.5 billion each year. Moulton College’s recent announcement of a new £5m Food & Drink Technology Academy is testament to the importance of continuing to provide local people with the right skills to support the industry”.

“The long-running Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the talented individuals from a broad range of large and small businesses and their outstanding achievements year after year” he added.

Meanwhile Roger Butler, Managing Director of Whitworth Bros Ltd, gave an insight into why the company was keen to play its part in the competition again; “We’re delighted to be sponsoring the awards again this year as it is a great way to for us to raise our profile and to show our support for the sector here in the county”.“We are also very proud of this fabulous new facility and hosting the launch has given us the opportunity to show it off to some of the other key local food businesses and demonstrate what a progressive and innovative company we are” he added.

Among those also present was Susie Keeping from Brasserie 23 at The Kings Head, Spratton which took the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ title in the 2014/15 Awards. Susie revealed what the venue’s success had meant to them; “Winning the title was a massive achievement for us, having only been open for just over a year, and it really boosted staff morale hugely”explained Susie.

“Perhaps more importantly, it gave us some great publicity further afield and in turn increased our bookings as we have had so many people come in who didn’t even know we were there!” she enthused.

Finally, the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, thanked those who have enabled the competition to become the success it has over the last six years and how that can only help to further the excellence of the sector; “These awards were established to help drive the growth within food and drink in the county and we’ve seen the competition achieve just that through tourism spend, business development and job creation” explained Rachel.

“With the support of our fabulous brands in Northamptonshire, it is no wonder that the sector continues to thrive and we’re confident that this will indeed be another magnificent year!” she added.
To set taste buds watering, guests tucked into muffins and croissants freshly prepared in the on-site innovation bakery. Following the speeches, they were also treated to a tour of one of the four mills at the Wellingborough site to watch the milling process from start to finish, everything from the intake of the British-sourced wheat to the milling and grinding, before observing the flour being discharged into the company’s now famous bright yellow tankers!

Awards fever for Northampton food firm!

On the eve of the launch of the prestigious Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, a further sponsor has stepped up to the plate to share in its culinary glory!

Northampton-based TMI Foods, which supplies cooked ingredients across Europe and is the UK’s leading manufacturer of cooked sausages, bacon and roasted vegetables, is sponsoring the ‘Chef of the Year’ category.

The company joins the likes of Booker, Weetabix, Whitco, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police in supporting the competition devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership which is aimed at celebrating all that is great about the county’s produce and drink, recognising excellence within its dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

TMI Food’s General Manager Declan Kennedy explained why the firm was keen to play its part;

“It is great to be getting involved in the Awards which are so well respected for their support of the food and drink sector in the county and of the local community.

“For TMI Foods it is also a privilege to be able to give something back by sponsoring the prestigious Chef of the Year category” he added.

Full details of the seventh year of the competition were being kept under wraps until the launch (Tuesday 3rd March) being held at the Wellingborough headquarters of flour millers Whitworth Bros. Ltd but ahead of the unveiling the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, explained why it is a great boost to have the company’s support;

“We’re thrilled that TMI Foods is joining us to support this year’s Awards. With a longstanding food heritage in the county town of over thirty years and as a key local employer of almost 200 full time local staff, we know that they are very proud of their Northamptonshire roots.

“Getting involved in the competition presents the ideal opportunity for them to demonstrate their commitment to the county and help support the continuing growth and prosperity of the local food and drink sector” she added.

Another major sponsor has stepped up to the plate in support of the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2015/16.

Another major sponsor has stepped up to the plate in support of the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2015/16. The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police has joined the likes of Booker, Moulton College and Weetabix in becoming a category sponsor in the competition devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership to celebrate all that is best about the county’s food and drink sector.

The partnership will see the Awards categories of ‘Community Pub of the Year – Town and Rural’ – merge with the existing ‘Best Bar None’ scheme which has previously been operated in the county town by the Police, supported by Northampton Pubwatch and Northampton Community Safety Partnership, and which will now roll out across the county.

The result is that, over the next seven months, not only will the county’s finest restaurants, chefs and producers be battling it out to secure their respective titles, but there will also be the opportunity for pubs and clubs to gain recognition for their efforts in showing that they are well-managed, promote responsible drinking and take customer safety and the prevention of crime and disorder seriously.

Full details were being kept under wraps until the launch (Tuesday 3rd March), but ahead of the unveiling, the Police and Crime Commissioner, Adam Simmonds, explained the decision to get involved;

“I’m thrilled to be joining forces with this prestigious awards scheme. It can only serve to enhance the fantastic work already achieved by Best Bar None in helping make the county a safer place.

“My focus is on involving all agencies and communities in tackling alcohol related crime and getting tough on anti‐social drunken behaviour”.

“The pubs and clubs category will help serve as a catalyst for the successful continued development of high standards in the night-time economy across the county, strengthening the relationship between the licensed trade, police and local authorities” he added.

Meanwhile the Chief Constable, Adrian Lee, said;

“The Best Bar None schemes have demonstrated their value in reducing alcohol-related harms in the night time economy. This development of the scheme in conjunction with the Food and Drink awards will further spread the benefits of Best Bar None across the county so all our towns can benefit.

“The Best Bar None team nationally are looking with interest at this development to see if there is potential for these changes to be rolled out across the country.”

Meanwhile the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, revealed some of the benefits that this new partnership will bring;

“We are delighted that Northamptonshire Police is joining us to support this year’s Awards. We know that they are very proud of their achievements through the Best Bar None scheme in Northampton in making pub-going a friendly, safe and enjoyable pastime and we’re very much looking forward to extending that success through our own competition across the county” she enthused.

The addition of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police means there is an impressive line-up of sponsors lending their weight to this year’s Awards – including Carlsberg UK, Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership, British Pepper & Spice, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed, Northamptonshire County Council, Pidy UK, Whitco and Whitworth Bros. Ltd.

The 2015/16 Awards will be launched at the home of Wellingborough flour millers Whitworth Bros. Ltd. on Tuesday 3rd March.

News from 2014

Jason Atherton celebrates Northamptonshire’s finest food and drink!

After much anticipation and a great deal of excitement, the winners of the 17 categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2014/15 are finally celebrating being named the best of the county’s best!

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is now in its sixth year and is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The results were announced at a glittering Awards Dinner (Thurs 16th October) staged at Royal & Derngate in Northampton and watched by the evening’s special guest, Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton.

Jason, who as Patron of the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation kindly donated his appearance fee to aid the charity in its funding of research into finding a cure for spinal injury, revealed how impressed he was to have watched the competition go from strength to strength over recent years; “I had the pleasure of being at the dinner in 2010 and it’s quite incredible to see how the awards have grown in stature and the prestige that they now command”.

“It’s been amazing to come back to Northamptonshire and to witness firsthand the passion that the county’s producers, restaurant owners, chefs and all those here tonight have for the work that they do and I can only say well done to them all. They should feel very proud!” he added.

Among the victors was Ria Chambers from Ria’s Rosy Lee Tearoom in Wellingborough which was named ‘Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year’ after she impressed the panel of judges at a Great British Bake Off-style cook-off against five other cafés at Northampton College; “I just couldn’t believe it when our name was announced,” explained Ria “and I was really shaking as I made my way up to the stage to collect my award from Jason!”

“The experience of the whole competition has just been amazing and winning has topped it all so I really hope that there’ll be lots of new customers wanting to come in to enjoy our wonderful home-baked treats and join our celebrations!” she giggled.

Meanwhile the night brought double success for staff at Brasserie 23 at The Kings Head, Spratton with the venue itself not only winning the title of ‘Restaurant of the Year’ but its 19 year old chef Sophie Fountain being named runner-up in the ‘Young Chef of the Year’ category for the second year running.

The pub is owned by two couples, Katie and Duncan Kennedy and Natalie and Daniel Tompkins, the latter couple being manageress and chef respectively and to whom Katie paid her tribute; “Natalie and Daniel have worked tirelessly over the last year to create the perfect dining venue with everything from a great atmosphere and wonderful service to delicious food, all cooked on site using fresh, local ingredients” she enthused.

“With Sophie also doing so well again, the whole team is feeling really chuffed and we shall certainly be displaying our trophy and certificates with great pride!” she added.

The winners were each presented with a ceramic plate, beautifully created and hand-painted by Rob Bibby of Woodnewton Pottery, and those presentations were made by Jason and the categories’ respective sponsors as well as Awards Patrons William Sitwell and Steven Saunders from Steven Saunders VIP Hospitality.

It was Steven’s Executive Chef, Lee Scott, who prepared a wonderful three course menu for the guests made up of entrants, judges, sponsors, media partners and supporters. They were treated to a starter of heritage beetroot with goat cheese from finalist NeneView Dairy at Stanwick, main course of beef provided by Booker and a chocolate delice for dessert, the chocolate coming from finalist Belflair Chocolates in Brackley and served with salted caramel ice cream from Gallones in Northampton.

Guests were welcomed to the event by the competition’s Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company and Jo Lappin, NEP Chief Executive, who outlined the importance of the food and drink sector to Northamptonshire’s economy and thanked all of those involved in supporting the event to make it such a fantastic celebration of the county’s food and drink industry; “Tonight is a celebration of everything that is fabulous about Northamptonshire’s food and drink sector industry – its vibrancy, creativity and sheer breadth of operations. The industry is worth £1.5 billion to our economy and employs some 46,000 people across Northamptonshire, bucking national trends by actually growing jobs over the past few years. It is therefore an absolute privilege to be here this evening to recognise the leading lights in the industry who make the sector such a success. The Awards have gone from strength to strength, with this year seeing a record number of nominations and entries from across Northamptonshire”.“NEP has sponsored these awards since 2009, and I am delighted that they continue to play such an important role in a sector of which Northamptonshire should be extremely proud,” she added.

Probably the finest food and drink heroes in Northamptonshire!

A delicatessen, a farm and a cheese maker are among the finalists vying to be named ‘Local Food Hero of the Year’ in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2014/15.

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is now in its sixth year and is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

This category, sponsored by Burton Latimer-based cereal company Weetabix and staged in partnership with the Northamptonshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), invited the public to nominate a person, business or organisation which they believed had done more in the last year to promote local food than any other.

The four finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Among the many new nominees for this year, Green Acres Rural Enterprise Centre at Staverton offers an alternative style of education to young people and their families, giving them the chance to learn about growing their own food, cooking healthy meals and how to make a living, all from a massive converted chicken shed and gardens set on a small former farm. Its Centre Manager, Heather Wilson, says she and her team are thrilled to have been recognised in this way; “We are all delighted at Green Acres not only to have been nominated but also to have reached the final of this award“.

“We are always so busy cooking and gardening with our young people that we don’t have time to tell everybody about how hard working they are and hopefully this will show how much we appreciate their efforts and help to raise the profile of our valuable work” added Heather.

Meanwhile, as last year’s runner-up, Waterloo Cottage Farm is hoping that they can go one better this year, as co-owner Kirsty Clarke revealed; “Last year’s nomination came completely out of the blue so to do so well and indeed to be shortlisted again this year is absolutely fantastic”.

“Quite often small businesses like ours are so busy ’doing’ that our heads don’t come out of the daily chores but being involved in these awards has opened up a whole new support system and allowed us to see what is going on locally. So, thank you to the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards for helping to put us on the map!” she said.

This year the competition received a record number of more than hundred nominations from all corners of the county for everything from butchers and farm shops to chefs and brewers, presenting something of a challenge to the judging panel which included a former winner of the category, Sheena Harris of ‘Deffinitely Different’, the Development and Education Manager for Northamptonshire CPRE, Sally Hanrahan and Weetabix’s Head of Procurement Anthony Bowdidge; “Weetabix are delighted to be supporting this year’s awards by sponsoring the ‘Local Food Hero’ category because as a local company, we are very proud of our Northamptonshire roots and this presents us with the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the county and the depth and prosperity of the sector” explained Anthony.

“The sheer number of those involved in this category alone highlights the huge effort of many individuals and businesses to promote and develop the food and drink sector within Northamptonshire and, with so many heroes out there, choosing a winner was extremely difficult! I am looking forward to celebrating their success at the awards dinner next month” he added.

Those were sentiments echoed by Sally; “I’ve been involved as a judge of this category since its inception and to watch the standard of nominations go up year after year is quite amazing” explained Sally.

“We have an incredible array of amazing people and businesses quietly going about their work and they deserve to be trumpeted, so on behalf of CPRE, may I offer our praise to all who were put forward and good luck to our four finalists whom I’d now encourage the county’s food lovers to seek out and support!” she enthused.
The finalists now have until Thursday 16th October to discover their fate when the winners and runners-up in all 16 categories of this year’s competition will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton.

To see who is vying for those other coveted titles, including ‘New Local Product of the Year’, ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ and ‘Chef of the Year’, and to help determine the winners of the ‘Community Pub of the Year’ categories by voting (by the closing date of Tuesday 30th September)

Northamptonshire’s finest venues vie for your votes!

With the glasses sparkling, the tablecloths ironed and the cutlery polished, some of the county’s finest drinking holes and dining venues are now going head to head to see who will pick up four of the prestigious venue titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards – and YOU can help to decide who wins!

The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) and now in their sixth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Among the titles up for grabs are those of ‘Community Pub of the Year – Town and Rural’ (sponsored by Pidy UK) and, following a record number of entries received from pubs which had first been nominated by the public, the finalists are now hoping for your vote, as votes alone determine the winners!

The finalists in the ‘Community Pub of the Year – Town’ are
(in alphabetical order):

While those hoping to take the title of ‘Community Pub of the Year – Rural’ are (in alphabetical order):

The Red Lion, Bozeat The Sun Inn, Hardingstone The Sun Inn, Kislingbury The White Horse, Old

To cast your vote for your favourite in each category, and to be entered into a prize draw to win a set of family tickets to see Peter Pan at Royal & Derngate this Christmas, simply complete a voting form in the venues themselves or clicking on the link above.

Meanwhile the finalists in the dining venue categories are on tenterhooks as two expert Mystery Shoppers will be visiting throughout this month to assess them on everything from knowledge of staff, use of local ingredients, speed of service, and of course the quality of the food itself!

For obvious reason the identities of the Mystery Shoppers are not being revealed at this stage but the happy task has previously been performed by the likes of TV chef Sophie Grigson and the former editor of the Good Food Guide, Jim Ainsworth!

The finalists in the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ category
(sponsored by Whitco) are:

While those in the reckoning for the ‘Booker Food Pub of the Year’ title (sponsored by Booker) are:

The George and Dragon, Chacombe The Hopping Hare, Northampton The Saracen’s Head, Little Brington The Walnut Tree Inn, Blisworth

Again, fans of the nine finalists are encouraged to show their support for their favourites by voting (again click on the link at the top of the page) and will also be entered into the prize draw. Voting in all four categories closes on 30th September.

For the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, the announcement of these results marks the latest exciting step in the competition; “We see a record number of entries into these categories each year – some being new venues to the competition and others who’ve taken part before – but they’re all driven by the same goal and that is to enjoy the business benefits that success can bring!” explained Rachel.

“So I’d urge all food lovers to show their support not only by visiting the venues for themselves and discover just why they’re deserving of their finalist status but also by casting their votes” she enthused.

The results, along with those of the other twelve categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate on Thursday 16th October.

A nervous wait for county’s culinary finest!

With the mixers whirring and rolling pins flying, some of the county’s finest cafés have been battling it out in the hope of winning the title of ‘Independent Café/Tea Room of the Year’ in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards!

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is now in its sixth year and is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Following a record number of entries to the category, which is sponsored by Explore Communications, a panel of judges was set the tricky task to pore over the entry forms and the reviews provided by a band of Mystery Shoppers, before choosing its six finalists.

The six are (in alphabetical order):

The shortlisted cafés were then invited to take part in a bake-off at Northampton College at which they were asked to prepare, cook and serve a scone, a signature cake or biscuit and a drink to a team of ‘diners’, including the Leader of Northamptonshire County Council, Jim Harker and BBC Radio Northampton presenter, John Griff.

Among the panel of expert judges who watched and scored them on everything from hygiene to organization, service and of course taste were Diana Birch, who is the Vice-Chairman of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, the Executive Chef of The Royal Opera House, Justin Hammett and Deborah Manger who, having competed in the 2013 series of the BBC’s ‘Great British Bake Off’, understood only too well what the contestants were going through; “We had TV cameras watching us at every step as we whisked our eggs or beat in the flour, so I know only too well how tough it must have been for the competitors to be constantly followed by the judges’ beady eyes!” explained Deborah.

“But they all did brilliantly and produced some absolutely delicious cakes and scones that I’m sure Mary Berry would be very proud of!” she added.

The six finalists now have to wait until Thursday 16th October to discover their fate when the winners and runners-up in all 16 categories will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton.

This Years Finalists Are

The oven gloves are now firmly off among some of the county’s finest producers they battle for it out for culinary glory in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards!
The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) and now in their sixth year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

After much deliberating, cogitating and digesting by two select panels of experts at the recent judging sessions, the shortlisted finalists in the five product and drink categories have been chosen from a record number of entries. They are (in alphabetical order within the category):

Those charged with the difficult but mouth-watering task of choosing their favourites from the record number of entries included Richard Izzard, Product Development Controller at Weetabix, the Principal of Moulton College, Stephen Davies and Mike Coppock, Curriculum Manager of Hospitality and Catering at Northampton College.

Among those celebrating the news of their success is Vicky Robertson of The Happy Little Cake Company at Great Billing, whose gluten-free Marathon Maker Muffin has been shortlisted in two categories; “I’m absolutely thrilled skinny to be a double finalist and to hear the judges’ remarks that they tasted every bit as delicious as regular cakes!” explained Vicky.

“Being a coeliac sufferer myself, I have some exciting growth plans for the company, which include trying to improve the availability of yummy treats for those who are gluten-intolerant who are often faced with little or poor choice when shopping and eating out, and I really hope that this success will help to open a few doors for me!” she added.

The results were announced at the Love Northampton Food and Drink Festival staged at the town’s Guildhall courtyard on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th July, with visitors to the event being invited to sample and score all 25 finalists, as well as tuck into the other tasty offerings being provided by a host of exhibitors representing ‘Made In Northamptonshire’- the networking group set up to offer support to the county’s food and drink sector.

The winners and runners-up in all five categories will be decided by a second panel of judges later in the year and those results, along with those of the other eleven categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate on Thursday 16th October.

Weetabix

The details of the new-look competition were revealed at the launch at Weetabix’s Burton Latimer headquarters (Friday 28th Feb) by NEP’s Chief Executive, Jo Lappin. Speaking before an audience made up of last year’s winners, sponsors, judges and competition partners, she explained the importance of the awards in recognising the important role that the sector plays in the county; “The food and drink sector is crucial to Northamptonshire’s economy, contributing £1.5 billion per year and providing employment to over 50,000 people”.

“The Awards provide us with the opportunity to recognise the sector’s contribution by bringing together talented people from a broad range of businesses to celebrate the outstanding achievement that they have made. They also promote the sector as a great place to build a career.”

Meanwhile Weetabix’s Head of Procurement, Anthony Bowdidge, gave an insight into why the company is getting involved; “We are delighted to be supporting this year’s awards and to be hosting the launch. As a company, we are very proud of our Northamptonshire roots and in particular our commitment to sourcing our wheat within 50-miles, thereby supporting our local farmers”.

“These awards present the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the county and the depth and prosperity of the sector.”

Among those present was Laura Gibbins of The World’s End at Ecton who won last year’s ‘Young Chef of the Year’ title and, thanks to category sponsor Booker, spent the day alongside her lifelong idol Michel Roux Jnr in the kitchens of his London restaurant.

She spoke of what that day meant to her and for her career; “Going behind the scenes at Le Gavroche was just the most amazing experience and a real dream come true,” revealed Laura.

“My favourite part, aside from meeting Michel himself of course, was watching the chefs in action and seeing how brilliantly they worked as a team to bring everything together to perfection”.

“I also got the opportunity to do a bit of taste-testing, which was pretty special and it’s really opened my eyes to what I might achieve with hard work and dedication! I wouldn’t have experienced any of that without winning the award so it’s been very inspirational.”

Finally, the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, thanked those who have enabled the expansion of the competition and revealed how that can only help to further the excellence of the sector; “We’re really excited to be able to update the categories and introduce some new ones this year as we know that means we’ll be able to encourage a greater number and variety of businesses to get involved and give them a chance to share in that success.”

“We’re also very keen to hear from those who want to make their recommendations and nominations, whether it’s for their favourite pub or tea room, or to tell us that they’re workplace has a great healthy eating offering. Indeed anyone can play their part by getting in touch with us and help this to be the best year yet!”

To set taste buds watering, guests were able to tuck into some of the breakfast company’s more traditional cereals including their eponymous biscuit, Weetos and Alpen as well as sample its newest offering, its range of ‘On The Go’ breakfast drinks.
Following the speeches, they were also treated to a tour of one of the Weetabix production facilities to watch the creation of the biscuit from start to finish, everything from seeing it take shape at the moulding tables to being cooked and dried, batched and wrapped and finally making its way to the packaging hall.

News from 2013

With the saucepans bubbling and the frying pans sizzling

With the saucepans bubbling and the frying pans sizzling, some of the county’s finest chefs have been battling it out to win two of the prestigious titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is now in its seventh year and is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The accolades being vied for were those of ‘Young Chef of the Year’ (sponsored by Booker), for budding culinary stars aged 18-25, and ‘Chef of the Year’ (sponsored by TMI Foods and Cordant People) for those over 25.

Those competing for the senior title were (in alphabetical order):

Adam Church of Franks Steakhouse, Northampton

Lee Gaskins of The Terrace Restaurant at Highgate House, Creaton

David Simms of The Talbot Hotel, Oundle

John Tipson of The George & Dragon, Chacombe

Richard Walker of Fawsley Hall Hotel, Fawsley

The five, shortlisted from a record number of entries, were invited to the impressive kitchens of Northampton College to take part in a ‘Ready Steady Cook’ style challenge to prepare two courses, each being provided with a selection of store cupboard products from Awards sponsors Booker, including a shoulder of lamb, as well as their key Northamptonshire ingredients of rapeseed oil from Farrington Oils at Hargrave, cider from Saxby’s Cider at Irchester and rhubarb gin from Harrington-based Warner Edwards.

They were watched throughout the three-hour process by an expert panel of judges including Chef and Development Manager at category co-sponsor TMI Foods, Aaron Melly, former chef and now Northampton Branch Manager at category co-sponsor Cordant People, Chris Fleming, and Andy Ives, who trained at Tresham College in Corby and who is now Head Chef at Sunningdale Golf Club. Each observed, quizzed and scored the chefs before tucking into their varied dishes including braised lamb shoulder with a vegetable medley, herb-coated lamb with asparagus and tomato tortellini and rhubarb gin pannacotta with a white chocolate parfait.

For Andy, selecting a winner was an incredibly difficult decision; “It’s a real privilege to have been invited back to the county and to watch these talented chefs in action” he explained.

“Using some great local produce, they each demonstrated skills that the top chefs in London would be proud of and having to choose the best was a real challenge!” he added.

The second cook-off, also at Northampton College, saw some of the county’s finest up and coming chefs battle it out in the semi-final of the ‘Young Chef of the Year’. Like their senior counterparts, they too were provided with a basket of kitchen ingredients, including chicken legs, by sponsors Booker as well as the local rapeseed oil and rhubarb gin from which they had to create a main course for two people.

Drawing upon their wide variety of cooking talents, they served up a wonderful array of dishes for the judges – everything from ballotine of chicken with a coriander, lemon and thyme stuffing to dry-rubbed curried chicken legs to chicken fricassee with a warm new potato and asparagus salad.

Those contending with the tricky, but enjoyable task of choosing the finalists were Northampton College catering lecturer Richard Curtis, Peter Saunders, who is Catering Development Manager with category sponsor Booker, and Lee Scott, formerly head chef at the Silverstone circuit and now with his own restaurant, La Strada Nouva, in Towcester; “It’s really great to see that Northamptonshire is bursting with young culinary talent” explained Lee, “and to watch the chefs turn their ingredients into seven such varied dishes was quite something”.

“We were all really impressed by the skills they’re showing so early in their careers and I’m only sorry that I can’t be at the final because I know the judges are set for a wonderful morning!”

The five finalists, who now go forward to compete for the ‘Young Chef of the Year’ title in the final cook-off at Tresham College in Corby in August, are (in alphabetical order):

Ceara Campbell from The Manor House, Corby

Tamsin Hamilton-Testrote from Kettering Park Hotel, Kettering

Perry Langley from Nuovo, Northampton

Ben Williams from Franks Steakhouse, Northampton

Christian Young from The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough

All finalists now have until Thursday 15th October to discover their fate when the winners and runners-up in all 18 categories of this year’s Awards will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton.

News from 2012

The oven gloves are now firmly off

The oven gloves are now firmly off among some of the county’s finest producers as they battle for it out for culinary glory in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) and now in their seventh year, are aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

After much deliberating, cogitating and digesting by two select panels of experts at the recent product and drink judging sessions staged at Holdenby House and at the reigning ‘Community Pub of the Year – Town’, The Malt Shovel Tavern in Northampton respectively, the shortlisted finalists in the five categories have been chosen from a record number of entries. They are (in alphabetical order within the category):

New Local Drink of the Year:

Additionally, while not shortlisted, One Track Mind from Brigstock Brewery at Brigstock was also ‘Commended’ by the judges in the ‘New Local Drink’ category.

Among those new finalists to be celebrating their success is John Evans from Towcester Mill Brewery; “We’re absolutely thrilled that we have been shortlisted, especially as we’ve just marked the first anniversary of the opening of the newly refurbished brewery after we moved into the town from Whittlebury” explained John.

“It’s been a lot of hard work in bringing the old mill back to life but this helps to make all that effort worthwhile and we shall certainly be pulling a few pints in our community tap room to celebrate!” he added.

Those are sentiments echoed by Vicky Robertson of Most Marvellous Baking in Northampton who is a triple finalist across two categories this year with her granola and rhubarb and ginger cake; “The publicity I had from being shortlisted last year brought a real boost to my business so I’m delighted to have been successful again” explained Vicky.

“My cake uses rhubarb gin from one of last year’s winners, Warner Edwards, so here’s hoping that that might be the magic ingredient to take at least one of the titles this year!”she enthused.

The winners and runners-up in all five categories will be decided by a second panel of judges later in the year and the results, along with those of the other thirteen categories in the competition, will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Royal & Derngate in Northampton on Thursday 15th October.

Meanwhile visitors to both the Northamptonshire Food Show at Holdenby on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September and the Althorp Food Festival on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th September will have chance to sample some of the twenty-four shortlisted products and drinks.